The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. While many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance today."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey 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 father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the company grew from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
