The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for 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 school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the right thing to do then. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, 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: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
