The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Whereas many VPs were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 publication 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 emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
