The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, including 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 insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
