The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous VPs had to settle for peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I believed it at the time and I hold that view presently."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both weak or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
