The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of that office in US history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was courteous, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a team because it indicated that they were equals. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any unidentified airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, causing him to be determined on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the correct action to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the government's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, as a baseline," he wrote later "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, ineptitude, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had drafted a document detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (encompassing "availability of crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his predecessor's face that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
Yet it was Cheney who was among the most outspoken advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and put in place programmes to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a nice way to function, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in commerce but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
