The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most influential holders of that position in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating planes approaching the government building.
Cheney said the assaults altered his perspective, making him become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the correct action to do then. I had faith at the time and I believe it presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were either weak or completely misleading. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to apprehend the individuals who killed 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 Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees leave his domain? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as second-in-command. While he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 while defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
