The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential incumbents of that position in the nation's history. While many VPs had to settle for minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held huge influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "real president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating aircraft approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, leading him to become focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on faulty reports echoed by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I believed it at the time and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a document setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both weak or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place initiatives to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the corner that remains unseen come out of his hole? That is a effective way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty