The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that position in American history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and stated the connection was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, making him become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a memorandum detailing circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the presidency generally inclined on carrying out what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a conspiracy to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that everyone had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both weak or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that remains unseen leave his domain? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
