The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
