The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of that office in American history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the relaxed president pliable on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals captured after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports circulated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I hold that view now."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a document detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be prepared to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be arranged," explicitly mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's visage that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting invading Iraq, frequently citing intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had been obtained through the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place programmes to apprehend the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his lair? It's a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package worth more than $20m|twenty
