The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea 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 quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
