The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his domain? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
