The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
