The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that office in US history. While countless VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
