The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of that office in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although 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 most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
