The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney wielded enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush objected to that description and stated the relationship was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the assaults transformed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Debated Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at a minimum," he wrote later "clear negligence, inaction, and unaccountability: at worst, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were either thin or totally deceptive. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? It's a nice way to work, actually."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
