The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were both thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, 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 background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the company grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
