The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated 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 gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author'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 evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
