The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most powerful incumbents of that position in US history. Whereas numerous second-in-commands were confined to marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a partnership because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the laidback president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on misleading intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had written a document detailing circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were both insubstantial or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? It's a advantageous way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his corporate affiliations pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth over $20m|twenty