The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most influential holders of that office in US history. Whereas numerous VPs were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and said the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author'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 remains unseen emerge from his lair? It's a advantageous way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had limited background in business but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
