The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in business but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
