The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. While countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired 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 announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
