The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
