The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most significant incumbents of that position in US history. Although many vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or ceremonial roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the administration of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to such a characterisation and claimed the relationship was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a collaboration because it suggested that they were equals. Regardless of these denials, Cheney considered the relaxed president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Post-9/11 Era
At the head of a contingent of neo-cons that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 strike, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a school in Florida. While Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took command, commanding the downing of any unresponsive planes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the attacks changed him, making him become focused on retaliation. Together with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the invasion of Iraq, even though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Controversial Policies
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do back then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance presently."
Yet during that period, there were opposing views at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the post. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining situations in which US concerns might be compromised (encompassing "obtaining crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "America should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office somewhat determined on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. After he had been fired by the president, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or totally misleading. He supported what the Bush government euphemistically referred to as "advanced techniques", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the torture, Cheney disregarded the report as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and create programmes to catch the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in nicknames assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Am I the evil genius in the background that remains unseen come out of his lair? That is a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Dispute over his commercial relationships pursued him during his tenure as vice-president. Although he had limited background in corporate affairs but good contacts in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's running mate for the White House. Debatably, during the military campaign, Halliburton was awarded US deals worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
