The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant occupants of that position in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary 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. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both thin or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly 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 CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
