The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents were confined to peripheral or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised huge influence during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently called as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney found the relaxed president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a group of neo-cons that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unidentified aircraft approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, making him become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis perished, or about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on inaccurate reports repeated by Cheney, was the right course of action. "It proved to be the correct action to do at that time. I had faith back then and I believe it now."
However even then, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: potentially, deception, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had written a memorandum detailing scenarios in which US concerns might be threatened (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the biggest accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either thin or totally misleading. He backed what the Bush government politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and torture.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the report as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and put in place initiatives to capture the perpetrators who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that operates invisibly leave his domain? It's a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Even though he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was granted US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 while defence secretary to $4.4m. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package valued at more than $20m|twenty
