The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit 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 father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
