The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were limited to minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 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 recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
