The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. While countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command 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 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
