The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unidentified aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who murdered 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 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 controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his lair? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
