The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
