The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was seen as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Whereas countless vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney held huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably referring to him in public as the President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush challenged even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the attacks transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Together with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the harsh treatment of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading reports echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance today."
But even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, incompetence, and corruption."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be prepared to operate alone when collective action prove impossible," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his plan of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a conspiracy to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly citing intelligence reports that were whether thin or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to apprehend the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by critics such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen leave his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Business Interests
Dispute over his corporate affiliations pursued him during his tenure as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in defence, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling more than $20m|twenty
