The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
