The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of that office in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
