The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in US history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I believed it then and I believe it presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the bastards 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 credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing 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: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
