The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government'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, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
