The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
