The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief 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 taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to 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 announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing 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 sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
