The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the perpetrators 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 merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, particularly 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 assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
