The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most influential incumbents of that office in US history. While many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised huge power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be intent on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do back then. I believed it at the time and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, consistently quoting information documents that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him through his period as second-in-command. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
