The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of that position in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a document outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing 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: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
