The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent 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 response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 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 recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
