The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. While many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush disliked that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a document setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (including "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether thin or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
