The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a document setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
