The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in US history. Although countless VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were either insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
