The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential occupants of that position in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, 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 corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a effective way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
