The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While numerous VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised enormous sway during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had drafted a memorandum setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
