The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that position in American history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
