The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics 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 duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
