The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, frequently citing information documents that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
