The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, consistently quoting agency briefings that were either weak or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
