The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling 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 saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
