The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker'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 nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
