The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I believed it then 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 Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure 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 sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book 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 remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a effective way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
