The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to 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 intention of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
