The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
