The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although countless VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, causing him to be intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum setting out situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House vaguely intent on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication 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 remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
