The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of that position in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary 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. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, 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 US concerns might be threatened (including "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
