The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes 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 underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, making him become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session 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 bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
