The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a document setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House generally inclined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion 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 reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? It's a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
