The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [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 never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
