The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
