The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention 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 attending a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I maintain that stance today."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo setting out situations in which American interests might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session 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 bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were both weak or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea 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: "Am I the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
