The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Although countless vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been attending a meeting at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced at the time and I hold that view today."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "obtaining vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to act independently when cooperative measures prove impossible," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the White House, 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 reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had come from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in monikers given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly come out of his lair? That is a nice way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While 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 largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US deals totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the company increased from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
