The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
