The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Although countless VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion 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 participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
