The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
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 told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force 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: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his domain? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
