The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead functions, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
But even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had drafted a document outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence directing 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 evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the presidency. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
