The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
