The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
