The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
