The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture 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 voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
