The deceased US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most influential incumbents of that position in American history. Although numerous second-in-commands were limited to peripheral or ceremonial positions, Cheney wielded huge influence during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to that description and claimed the connection was more complex. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public as Mr President, while he referred to him as Dick. Bush disputed even descriptions of their relationship as a team because it suggested that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the relaxed president malleable on a wide array of policy decisions.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a group of conservative hawks that encompassed military head Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a educational institution in Florida. While Bush made his way to a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive planes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney claimed the assaults altered his perspective, making him become determined on retribution. In conjunction with other neo-cons, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover 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 playing a role.
Debated Decisions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and not about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He told CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on misleading information circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced then and I maintain that stance today."
Yet even at the time, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was dismissed from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he later wrote "true dereliction, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Additional Factors
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for such action. He had composed a memo detailing situations in which American interests might be endangered (featuring "access to crucial commodities, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," particularly referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had arrived in the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his parent had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his objective of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been involved in a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He also resented that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to walk over.
Investigation Approaches
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind attacking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were whether thin or entirely inaccurate. He supported what the Bush government indirectly described as "advanced techniques", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate document in 2014 that concluded that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He informed Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish procedures to catch the perpetrators who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed nicknames imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Am I the malevolent mastermind in the corner that nobody ever sees emerge from his hole? That is a nice way to work, in fact."
Business Interests
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. Although he had minimal expertise in corporate affairs but established relationships in security, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and chief executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was granted US deals worth substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his period at the company rose from his $258,394 during his time as military head to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a severance arrangement valued at over $20m|twenty
