The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."
However even then, there were dissenting voices 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 post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
