The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both thin or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
