The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably 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 suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, 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 invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused 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 opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
