The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his domain? This represents a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
