The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as one of the most powerful occupants of that office in American history. While numerous VPs were confined to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney wielded substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush resented that description and said the dynamic was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of such protestations, Cheney viewed the relaxed president malleable on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a faction of neo-cons that encompassed Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the downing of any unidentified aircraft nearing the government building.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the invasion of Iraq, although there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Controversial Actions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, and not about the harsh treatment of suspects rounded up after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was based on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct path to take. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance today."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had written a memorandum setting out scenarios in which national priorities might be compromised (including "availability of essential resources, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be prepared to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically mentioning armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had arrived in the Oval Office generally inclined on carrying out what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of reducing America's engagement in the Middle East dispute and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, convinced he had been involved in a conspiracy to murder his parent, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented 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 step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most outspoken behind striking Iraq, consistently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or completely deceptive. He backed what the Bush White House euphemistically referred to as "intensive questioning", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that found that no useful information had come from the torture, Cheney disregarded the findings as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and establish procedures to capture the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it would not recur. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney took pleasure in labels given to him by opponents such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling 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: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the background that operates invisibly emerge from his lair? It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Commercial Ties
Controversy over his commercial relationships accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. Although he had little experience in commerce but established relationships in military, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial petroleum conglomerates, in 1995 as chairman and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the executive branch. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts worth multiple billions.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the corporation grew from his $258,394 during his time as defence secretary to millions. When he left in 2000 he had a package totaling in excess of $20m|twenty
