The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were either weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker'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 corner that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
