The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high 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 retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
