The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
