The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
