The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were opposing views 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 not retained from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book 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 background that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
