The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level 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 witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating 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 evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
