The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired 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 stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent'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, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
