The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was considered one of the most significant occupants of that office in US history. Although many second-in-commands were limited to minor or ceremonial functions, Cheney exercised huge sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was frequently described as the "actual president".
Bush resented this portrayal and said the relationship was more nuanced. He pointed out that Cheney was courteous, invariably referring to him in public settings as the President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president pliable on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Post-9/11 Era
In charge of a group of neo-conservatives that featured military head Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the armed incursion of Iraq in 2003 in reaction to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a meeting at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush headed for a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the destruction of any unidentified planes heading toward the government building.
Cheney claimed the attacks transformed him, leading him to become focused on retribution. Along with other conservative figures, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a occupation of Afghanistan in an attempt to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the military action of Iraq, even though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
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 individuals apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was based on faulty information repeated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It represented the right thing to do back then. I was convinced back then and I believe it presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the post. "I saw, at the very least," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, carelessness, and recklessness: in the worst case, lying, incompetence, and dishonesty."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely to blame for the Iraq military action. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining circumstances in which US concerns might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be positioned to act independently when joint efforts prove impossible," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the presidency somewhat determined on executing what his father had specifically avoided to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his plan of lowering America's participation in the Middle East dispute and suggested military action 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 visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also disliked that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a likeness of his father's visage that everyone had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were both weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Responding to a Senate analysis in 2014 that determined that no actionable intelligence had come from the torture, Cheney dismissed the findings as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to catch the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they merit a lot of recognition."
Public Persona
Cheney reveled in nicknames given to him by critics such as the dark character and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In the journalist's 2013 publication about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his lair? That is a nice way to function, truthfully."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him throughout his time as vice-president. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas companies, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US deals valued at substantial sums.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly earnings during his period at the firm rose from his previous salary when he was Pentagon chief to millions. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement worth in excess of $20m|twenty
