The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. While many VPs were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense 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 participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated 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 playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force 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 evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
