The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. While countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, 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 nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
