The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks 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. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
