The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of that position in US history. Although countless VPs were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist'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 operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
