The late US second-in-command Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous VPs were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore 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 additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
