The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that position in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
