The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
