The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly leave his domain? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
