The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of that position in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior 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 retained from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked 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 intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
