The former 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 the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or figurehead roles, Cheney held huge power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unidentified aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place programmes to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? It's a nice way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
