The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. While countless VPs were confined to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a document setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be endangered (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both weak or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in commerce but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling over $20m|twenty
