The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer 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 made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
