The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
