The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I hold that view today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
