The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
