The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
