The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, making him become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement 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 assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were either weak or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
