The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in US history. Although countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired 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 objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural 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 vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, 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 shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
