The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many VPs were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker'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 background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
