The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant incumbents of that office in American history. While countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were both thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
