The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While countless VPs were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether weak or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
