The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either thin or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
