The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential occupants of that position in American history. Although many VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo setting out situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, 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 lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
