The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
