The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that office in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents had to settle for minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, making him become focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right decision. "It represented the proper decision to do then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
However during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to act independently when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were either weak or totally inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist'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 shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? This represents a advantageous way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars when he was military head to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
