The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be 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 pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of 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. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
