The deceased US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of that office in US history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
