The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo setting out situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
