The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book 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 background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
