The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I believe it now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed 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 objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
