The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
