The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
