The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. While many vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably addressing him in public as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a faction of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on retribution. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, and not about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the right thing to do back then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "true dereliction, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his father's face that everyone had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were whether weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker'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 corner that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as VP. While he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the firm grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
