The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. While many VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing 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: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
