The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I believe it today."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
