The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in US history. Although countless vice-presidents had to settle for marginal or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and said the relationship was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always referring to him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were peers. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of administrative determinations.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unidentified planes nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become determined on retribution. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It was the proper decision to do back then. I had faith then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a document outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (encompassing "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," explicitly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that remains unseen leave his lair? It's a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in commerce but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the corporation increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
