The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were whether weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
