The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to minor or ceremonial roles, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently referred to as the "actual president".
Bush disliked this portrayal and stated the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was deferential, invariably referring to him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a broad range of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on revenge. Along with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the proper decision to do back then. I believed it back then and I hold that view presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the position. "I saw, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "true dereliction, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, falsehoods, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had composed a document setting out circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on carrying out what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been fired by the president, the finance chief Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of lowering America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a likeness of his father's countenance that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either thin or entirely inaccurate. He backed what the Bush administration euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and create initiatives to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels given to him by critics such as Darth Vader 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: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a advantageous way to operate, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships followed him throughout his time as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his tenure at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
