The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in American history. Although many VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office 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 Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? That is a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
