The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most influential incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his lair? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
