The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Although many VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command 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 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement 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 murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? It's a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 when he was military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
