The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that position in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House generally inclined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
