The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in US history. While numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included military head 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 participating in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
