The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that office in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to 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 intention of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? That is a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
