The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in American history. Whereas countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I had faith then and I hold that view presently."
Yet during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (including "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, 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 operates invisibly leave his lair? This represents a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but strong connections in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
