The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
