The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I believe it now."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
