The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. While countless vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
