The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that office in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I believe it today."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief 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 engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the bastards who took the lives of 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 recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
