The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant occupants of that position in American history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
