The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of that office in US history. Whereas countless second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were peers. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith back then and I hold that view now."
Yet even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating invading Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were both weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker'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 sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
