The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned 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 little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
