The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most significant holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, making him become intent on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I believe it presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either thin or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
