The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed 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 regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
