The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held huge sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty information echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo setting out situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be postured to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head 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 engagement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either thin or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume 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 background that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? This represents a effective way to work, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty
