The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in business but good contacts in security, particularly 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 became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
