The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty