The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
