The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I believed it at the time and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his domain? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
