The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
