The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
