The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of that position in US history. While numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees leave his lair? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
