The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
