The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level 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 role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
