The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed 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 announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
