The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas many VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. While he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US agreements totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
