The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm increased from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
