The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion 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 participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
