The late US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. While countless second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic functions, Cheney held enormous power during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "actual president".
Bush resented that description and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. Together with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading reports repeated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view today."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memorandum outlining scenarios in which national priorities might be threatened (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of reducing America's involvement in the regional tensions and proposed armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a scheme to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's visage that each person had to tread upon.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether weak or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his business interests followed him through his period as vice-president. Even though he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements valued at billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the company increased from his quarter-million dollars when he was defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
