The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential occupants of that position in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier 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 dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
