The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded huge power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a document setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence 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 shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
