The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. While countless VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen leave his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
