The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
