The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
