The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention 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 participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume 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 background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
