The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant occupants of that position in American history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly leave his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
