The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character 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 reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his domain? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
