The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in official appearances as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view presently."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a memo outlining situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly leave his hole? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company grew from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
