The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant occupants of that position in American history. While countless VPs were confined to minor or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been fired 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 declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly leave his domain? That is a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
