The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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 school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were whether thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty