The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith at the time and I believe it now."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were whether thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, 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 corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
