The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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 school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating 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: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
