The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level 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 position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
