The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that office in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included 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 attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unidentified planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, deception, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a document outlining circumstances in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the journalist'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 malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen leave his hole? That is a nice way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his quarter-million dollars while military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package totaling more than $20m|twenty
