The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most significant holders of that office in US history. Whereas numerous VPs had to settle for marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney wielded substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a session at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, making him become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance presently."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 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 enjoyed labels imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication 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 background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the company increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
