The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of neo-conservatives that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating airplanes nearing the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults transformed him, leading him to become determined on retaliation. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memorandum detailing scenarios in which American interests might be threatened (including "availability of crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind invading Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both thin or entirely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney dismissed the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence manipulating 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: "Am I the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him during his tenure as second-in-command. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US agreements worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 when he was defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
