The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a effective way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
