The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that office in US history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I had faith at the time and I believe it now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a document outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
