The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant occupants of that office in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
