The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous vice-presidents were confined to marginal or symbolic roles, Cheney held enormous sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently referred to as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. In spite of these objections, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any non-communicating planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney said the attacks changed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I maintain that stance now."
Yet even then, there were opposing views at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq military action. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had composed a memo detailing circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "availability of essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had entered the Oval Office somewhat determined on carrying out what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his predecessor's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing intelligence reports that were either insubstantial or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and torture.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place initiatives to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers given to him by detractors such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his hole? This represents a effective way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
