The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
