The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned 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 no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty