The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that position in American history. While many vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action prove impossible," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating 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: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
