The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that office in the nation's history. While numerous VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
