The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in the nation's history. Although numerous VPs were limited to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his hole? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
