The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied 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 little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
