The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that office in American history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
