The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response 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. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a nice way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
