The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention 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. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
