The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
