The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
