The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author'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 operates invisibly emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
