The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either thin or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 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 credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
