The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unidentified aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed 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 armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
