The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
