The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief 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. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a nice way to work, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
