The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted 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 gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, making him become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it presently."
But even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo setting out circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were whether weak or completely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
