The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his hole? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
