The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
