The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a effective way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
