The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. Although countless VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused 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 initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
