The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume 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 emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
