The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of that office in American history. While numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
