The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of that office in US history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
