The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both weak or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? It's a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
