The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the right thing to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist'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 corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
