The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a document outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 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 praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
