The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of that office in the nation's history. Although many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, making him become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a document detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting intelligence reports that were either thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
