The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, 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 participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
