The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
