The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of that office in American history. While countless VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were both weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards 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 praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
