The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals 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."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
