The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, 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 partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
