The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended 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 entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen leave his hole? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
