The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
