The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless VPs were confined to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor 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 Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely 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 endangered (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, 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 background that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. Even though 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 largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
