The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant holders of that office in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often called as the "real president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the easygoing president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention 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 session at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the strikes changed him, leading him to become focused on revenge. Together with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated 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 little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Policies
He showed no remorse about the military campaign, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance now."
But even then, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be compromised (featuring "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been fired by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a scheme 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 establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his predecessor's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were whether insubstantial or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the individuals who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, 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 nobody ever sees leave his hole? That is a nice way to function, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty