The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of the vice-presidency in US history. While numerous VPs were limited to marginal or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their relationship as a team because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a group of neo-cons that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the strikes transformed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate information echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It was the right thing to do then. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a memo outlining scenarios in which American interests might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been behind a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was among the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either insubstantial or completely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish initiatives to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames given to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his domain? It's a effective way to work, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests pursued him throughout his time as second-in-command. While he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the firm increased from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth over $20m|twenty
