The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to marginal or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I believe it presently."
However even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted 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 suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as VP. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm grew from his previous salary when he was defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty