The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was regarded as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in American history. While countless second-in-commands had to settle for marginal or figurehead functions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the term of George W Bush, to such an extent that he was commonly described as the "actual president".
Bush objected to that description and said the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, consistently referring to him in public as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney found the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of policy decisions.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been taking part in a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney stated the strikes changed him, causing him to be intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, although there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Policies
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees captured after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate information repeated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I had faith at the time and I hold that view today."
However even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I saw, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, deception, incompetence, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not solely to blame for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for similar measures. He had written a memorandum outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the US should be postured to take unilateral action when joint efforts prove impossible," explicitly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his intention of reducing America's participation in the regional tensions and proposed defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally disliked that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vociferous advocating striking Iraq, frequently quoting information documents that were whether weak or totally deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the use of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate report in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the findings as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to implement measures and establish procedures to apprehend the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed labels assigned to him by critics such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen emerge from his lair? This represents a advantageous way to function, in fact."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his corporate affiliations followed him during his tenure as VP. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in defence, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as leader and CEO.
In 2000 he became Bush's VP candidate for the White House. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the firm grew from his quarter-million dollars during his time as Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
