The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
