The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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 educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
