The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most influential occupants of that position in US history. Although many second-in-commands were confined to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the administration of George W Bush, to the point that he was often referred to as the "real president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, invariably calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a collaboration because it suggested that they were peers. Despite these objections, Cheney considered the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a underground facility in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks altered his perspective, leading him to become determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt 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.
Disputed Decisions
He showed no remorse about the invasion, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was predicated on inaccurate intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I had faith at the time and I maintain that stance today."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the position. "I witnessed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, carelessness, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for such action. He had written a memo setting out circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when collective action cannot be arranged," specifically mentioning military moves against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the White House vaguely intent on carrying out what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; topple Saddam. After he had been fired by the administration, the finance chief Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his objective of reducing America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his predecessor's visage that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating invading Iraq, consistently referencing information documents that were both thin or completely misleading. He supported what the Bush White House politely called as "advanced techniques", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the Star Wars villain and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the author's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the malevolent mastermind in the background that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests followed him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had limited background in business but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals totaling billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company rose from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package worth in excess of $20m|twenty
