The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in military, especially 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 top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
