The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level 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 position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, 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 lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
