The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do back then. I believed it back then and I believe it presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
