The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were both thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
