The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of that position in US history. Although countless VPs were limited to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships 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 VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
