The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Although numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
