The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. While numerous VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, making him become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a document setting out situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed 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 Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? It's a effective way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
