The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a team because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any non-communicating planes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a document outlining situations in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his lair? This represents a nice way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his business interests pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty