The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were either thin or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend 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 earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
