The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
