The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
