The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating 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: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
