The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I believe it now."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document outlining situations in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
