The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, 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: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
