The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
