The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated 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 gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker'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 lair? That is a nice way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty