The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, 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, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
