The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous VPs were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
