The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
