The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted 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 proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist'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 corner that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
