The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in US history. While numerous VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I hold that view now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the individuals 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."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
