The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney held substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker'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 operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
