The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion 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 taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
