The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in American history. While numerous VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention 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 made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author'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 hole? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as VP. Although he had little experience in business but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
