The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that position in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently referred to as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to apprehend the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a effective way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the corporation grew from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
