The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless VPs were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing situations in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
