The former US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives 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 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
