The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
