The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered among the most powerful incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
Yet 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 reappointed from the position. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, 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 background that remains unseen leave his lair? That is a effective way to work, actually."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth more than $20m|twenty
