The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that office in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, 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 corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? It's a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
