The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most influential holders of that position in US history. While numerous second-in-commands were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was commonly referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the relationship was more complex. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their association as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president malleable on a whole raft of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a contingent of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the harsh treatment of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I had faith then and I maintain that stance today."
However during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and unaccountability: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had composed a memo outlining circumstances in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "obtaining vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been sacked by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate 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 ground design with a portrait of his father's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind invading Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were either insubstantial or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush government indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of waterboarding and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the torture, Cheney rejected the findings as "full of crap". He stated to Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames imposed on him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a shadow power directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 book about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees leave his lair? That is a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Controversy over his business interests followed him during his tenure as VP. Even though he had minimal expertise in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy companies, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Controversially, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the company increased from his previous salary while defence secretary to over four million. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth more than $20m|twenty
