The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations 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 visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion 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 cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
