The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were either insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
