The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant occupants of that position in American history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion 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 approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his lair? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
