The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion 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 reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
