The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
