The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in US history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense 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 taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House vaguely intent on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
