The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential incumbents of that office in the nation's history. While numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
