The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
