The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked 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 intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
