The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas countless VPs were confined to peripheral or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often called as the "actual president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was deferential, always referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of policy decisions.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a group of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been participating in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. While Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, directing the downing of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, causing him to be focused on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Policies
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do back then. I believed it then and I believe it now."
Yet even at the time, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility: potentially, falsehoods, ineptitude, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the White House somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been responsible for a conspiracy to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally resented that one of the largest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his father's face that everyone had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether thin or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that determined that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that remains unseen leave his domain? It's a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Dispute over his business interests accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. Although he had minimal expertise in commerce but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the executive branch. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at over $20m|twenty
