The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that position in US history. While numerous vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
