The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level 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 role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a nice way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
