The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that position in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
