The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed 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 stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
