The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful occupants of that position in American history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
