The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant occupants of that office in American history. Whereas countless VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and said the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in official appearances as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his predecessor's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? It's a effective way to operate, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary while defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
