The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down 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 neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
