The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unidentified planes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, 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 remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
