The former US VP Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered arguably the most significant holders of that position in US history. While many vice-presidents were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly described as the "true president".
Bush resented such a characterisation and stated the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were on equal footing. Despite such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, directing the destruction of any unidentified airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on retaliation. In conjunction with other conservative figures, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Disputed Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of detainees rounded up after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was predicated on faulty information circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the proper decision to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I believe it today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: in the worst case, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had called for comparable steps. He had written a document outlining situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the US should be postured to operate alone when cooperative measures prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Following he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of lowering America's engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been responsible for a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a ground design with a portrait of his predecessor's countenance that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
Yet it was Cheney who was one of the most outspoken supporting striking Iraq, repeatedly quoting information documents that were either thin or totally inaccurate. He supported what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no actionable intelligence had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the findings as "loaded with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and create programmes to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they deserve a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney reveled in monikers assigned to him by detractors such as the Star Wars villain and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as VP. Although he had little experience in business but established relationships in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US contracts worth billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly earnings during his time at the firm increased from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to $4.4m. When he departed in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
