The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful occupants of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, making him become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It was the proper decision to do then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: potentially, lying, incompetence, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a document setting out scenarios in which American interests might be compromised (including "obtaining vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be positioned to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was among the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly leave his hole? That is a effective way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him throughout his time as VP. Although he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his period at the corporation rose from his quarter-million dollars while Pentagon chief to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
