The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
