The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks 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 secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a nice way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
