The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in American history. Whereas many VPs were confined to minor or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the presidency of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in official appearances as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a group of neo-conservatives that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the destruction of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the assaults changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the harsh treatment of detainees captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It proved to be the proper decision to do then. I had faith back then and I hold that view today."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the post. "I witnessed, at the very least," he later wrote "true dereliction, carelessness, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," particularly referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had entered the presidency somewhat determined on implementing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a plot to murder his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's face that all visitors had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were whether weak or completely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the use of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney disregarded the findings as "full of crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to capture the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Persona
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames imposed on him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his domain? That is a nice way to operate, in fact."
Business Interests
Controversy over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but established relationships in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's running mate for the White House. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US agreements totaling billions.
It made him rich. His annual income during his time at the corporation increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a package valued at over $20m|twenty
