The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered among the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a nice way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
