The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous VPs were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation increased from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
