The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. Although many second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated 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 session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 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 Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist'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 sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
