The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant occupants of that office in American history. While many VPs were limited to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the correct action to do then. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, 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 shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations followed him through his period as VP. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling more than $20m|twenty
