The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While countless VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks 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. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House 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 resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
