The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that position in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company grew from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
