The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it then and I believe it now."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals 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 praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling 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: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
