The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as among the most influential holders of that position in American history. Although many vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, consistently referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memorandum detailing scenarios in which national priorities might be endangered (featuring "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that remains unseen emerge from his hole? That is a effective way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
