The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion 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 attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks 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 endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
