The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary 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 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
