The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a high 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, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
