The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
