The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although countless VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
