The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
