The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. Whereas many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea 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: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
