The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? That is a nice way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
