The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
