The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in American history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, 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 ground design with a image of his parent's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. 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 corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
