The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful occupants of that position in American history. Although countless VPs were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, 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 echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
