The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both thin or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist'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 background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
