The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as one of the most significant incumbents of that office in US history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney held enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He noted that Cheney was deferential, always calling him in public settings as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, lying, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing information documents that were whether insubstantial or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to catch the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating 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: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
