The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith at the time and I believe it today."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
