The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as one of the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents were limited to marginal or figurehead positions, Cheney wielded huge power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and said the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their partnership as a collaboration because it implied that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney considered the laidback president pliable on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been participating in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, commanding the shooting down of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an endeavor to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on misleading information repeated by Cheney, was the proper decision. "It represented the right thing to do then. I believed it back then and I hold that view today."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: in the worst case, falsehoods, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for similar measures. He had drafted a memo setting out scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to take unilateral action when cooperative measures cannot be orchestrated," specifically citing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his father had notably declined to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his father, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his parent's face that all visitors had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous behind attacking Iraq, frequently quoting intelligence reports that were both weak or entirely inaccurate. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "advanced techniques", the application of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the idea that he was a dark force controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? This represents a nice way to function, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him through his period as vice-president. While he had minimal expertise in business but good contacts in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the White House. Contentiously, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His annual income during his time at the company rose from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
