The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty