The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
