The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
