The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas countless VPs had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 publication 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? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as vice-president. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
