The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
