The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in business but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
