The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
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 area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted 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 Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both weak or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures 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 earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
