The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. Although numerous VPs had to settle for peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports 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 maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force 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: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
