The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and said the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, 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 parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had little experience in business but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
