The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence 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 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
