The former US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was considered arguably the most powerful holders of that office in American history. Although numerous vice-presidents were limited to peripheral or symbolic functions, Cheney held huge sway during the term of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "actual president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and said the relationship was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was respectful, consistently calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even descriptions of their association as a collaboration because it indicated that they were equals. Despite these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a whole raft of governmental choices.
The Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured military head 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 strike, Bush had been taking part in a session at a elementary school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any unresponsive aircraft nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks transformed him, causing him to be focused on revenge. Along with other neo-conservatives, like Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Actions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, nor about the waterboarding of individuals captured after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading intelligence repeated by Cheney, was the right decision. "It proved to be the right thing to do at that time. I was convinced at the time and I believe it presently."
However even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and recklessness: at worst, lying, unfitness, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for similar measures. He had composed a memorandum outlining scenarios in which US concerns might be compromised (featuring "availability of vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "America should be postured to take unilateral action when collective action prove impossible," particularly mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush also had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had specifically avoided to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been dismissed by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mooted defense operations against Iraq.
Bush held a personal grudge against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a plot to kill his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore objected to that one of the most prominent establishments in Baghdad had a ground design with a image of his parent's face that each person had to step on.
Investigation Approaches
But it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting striking Iraq, frequently referencing information documents that were either weak or entirely deceptive. He supported what the Bush administration indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the employment of simulated drowning and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had been obtained through the torture, Cheney disregarded the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He told Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to implement measures and create programmes to catch the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That is precisely what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by opponents such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a dark force directing Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the sinister strategist in the background that remains unseen emerge from his lair? That is a effective way to operate, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Debate over his business interests followed him through his period as second-in-command. While he had little experience in business but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was offered a position at Halliburton, one of the world's largest oil and gas conglomerates, in 1995 as leader and top executive.
In 2000 he became Bush's running mate for the presidency. Contentiously, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His annual income during his period at the corporation grew from his previous salary while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
