The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that office in American history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
