The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. While countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I believe it now."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
