The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
