The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While numerous vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating 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: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
