The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although many VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
