The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant occupants of that position in US history. Although many VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, 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 lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
