The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in the nation's history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public settings as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, making him become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he later wrote "obvious failure, negligence, and recklessness: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (encompassing "access to crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, consistently citing intelligence reports that were either thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm grew from his $258,394 when he was military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
