The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless VPs were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication 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 operates invisibly leave his hole? This represents a effective way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
