The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in US history. While countless vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
