The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. While countless VPs were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
