The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions 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 reappointed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked 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 stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
