The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions 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 not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. 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 Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
