The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney said the strikes transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the correct action to do then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently citing agency briefings that were both thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a effective way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty