The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. While numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both weak or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
