The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Although many VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and said the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a effective way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the corporation grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
