The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, 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 shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
