The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, 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 portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
