The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
