The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that position in US history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked 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 stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both thin or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
