The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do back then. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memo setting out scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating 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: "Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It's a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company increased from his previous salary while Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
