The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
