The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney held enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a team because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, making him become determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling 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 malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
