The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution 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 role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
