The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in US history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting invading Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
