The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his lair? It's a nice way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
