The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as among the most influential holders of that position in American history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or figurehead roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their relationship as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. In spite of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do at that time. I believed it then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," explicitly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his domain? This represents a effective way to operate, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
