The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most significant holders of that office in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, making him become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
