The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
