The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor 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.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
But even at the time, there were opposing views 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 role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
