The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion 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 made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level 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 observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed 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 announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing 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 evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
