The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of that office in American history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
