The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I believed it then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as VP. Even though he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
