The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were either thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
