The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant holders of that position in US history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view now."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had composed a document detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency generally inclined on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's face that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently citing agency briefings that were whether insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence directing 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: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
