The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I believed it back 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 government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
