The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
