The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. While many VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I believed it back then and I believe it now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a effective way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
