The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
But during that period, 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 role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
