The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that position in American history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to act independently when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked 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 declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
