The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary 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 engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating 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: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
