The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While many second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
