The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the correct action to do then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, 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 lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
