The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unidentified planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
