The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management 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, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames 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 Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
