The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both thin or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the bastards 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 praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
