The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do back then. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
