The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many VPs were confined to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions 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 administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly leave his lair? It's a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
