The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend 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 lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures 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 earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
