The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented 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 step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
