The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. While countless VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
