The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. While numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty