The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it then and I maintain that stance today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed 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 declared his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
