The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that office in US history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either insubstantial or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
