The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. While many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated 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 gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
