The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow 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 reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
