The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of that position in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House generally inclined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish 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 was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
