The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the right thing to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
