The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either thin or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
