The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After 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 declared his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents 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 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 sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
