The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the correct action to do back then. I believed it at the time and I hold that view now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were both weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
