The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
