The former US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, 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 individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
