The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
