The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
