The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. Although many VPs had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
