The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas many VPs were limited to minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in 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 controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
