The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive planes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were either weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept 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: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
