The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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 educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I believe it today."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple 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 declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
