The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While many VPs were limited to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, making him become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a effective way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
