The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief 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 engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Although 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 largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
