The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that office in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a effective way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
