The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas many VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House generally inclined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, 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 corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
