The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. While countless VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
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 shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
