The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
