The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas many VPs were limited to peripheral or figurehead positions, Cheney held enormous sway during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, always addressing him in official appearances as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes transformed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the harsh treatment of suspects captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo detailing situations in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the White House generally inclined on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been behind a conspiracy to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, repeatedly citing agency briefings that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames assigned to him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his domain? That is a nice way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had little experience in commerce but strong connections in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
