The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view presently."
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 representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
