The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless VPs were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence 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 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
