The late US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes 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 underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions 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 not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
