The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in American history. While many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I believe it presently."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing 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 come out of his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
