The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, 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 mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
