The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
