The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan 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 scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators 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 deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
