The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of that office in US history. Although numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning 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; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
