US vice-president who served under George W Bush and pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq
The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died aged 84, was one of the most influential holders of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held a huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the “real president”.
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that included the defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive planes approaching the Capitol building.
