The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly called as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, making him become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired 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 diminishing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish programmes to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that operates invisibly come out of his domain? That is a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in business but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
