The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. 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 Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
