The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of that office in US history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes 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 underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
