The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most significant occupants of that position in the nation's history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or figurehead roles, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief 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 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It represented the correct action to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum detailing situations in which national priorities might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to apprehend the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
