The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, 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 remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a effective way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
