The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as among the most powerful holders of the vice-presidency in American history. While numerous second-in-commands had to settle for minor or ceremonial positions, Cheney exercised substantial power during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, invariably addressing him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were on equal footing. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
In charge of a contingent of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the invasion 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 educational institution in Florida. While Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the Capitol building.
Cheney said the assaults changed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the enhanced interrogation of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it now."
However even then, there were opposing views at a high 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 saw, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had composed a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to essential resources, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "America should be positioned to take unilateral action when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Following he had been dismissed by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a conspiracy to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently quoting agency briefings that were both weak or completely deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of interrogation method and physical pressure.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and create initiatives to catch the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it was not repeated. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in nicknames 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 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his domain? This represents a nice way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in business but good contacts in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's election partner for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as military head to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
