The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed 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 declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
