The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-conservatives that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the strikes altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was founded on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, ineptitude, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be compromised (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, consistently citing information documents that were either weak or completely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the two, 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 shadows that operates invisibly come out of his lair? This represents a effective way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his time at the company increased from his $258,394 during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
