The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions 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 dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
