The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
