The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful occupants of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary 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 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
