The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary 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 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
