The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although 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 perished, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
