The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. While many second-in-commands were limited to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US agreements worth substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
