The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of that position in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view today."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
