The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as among the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in US history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney held enormous influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably calling him in public as the President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney viewed the easygoing president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information circulated by Cheney, was the right path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance now."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had drafted a document detailing situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "access to essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly citing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the White House generally inclined on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of lowering America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his parent's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to capture the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts valued at substantial sums.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his period at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at more than $20m|twenty
