The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful incumbents of that position in American history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
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 apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
