The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at age 84, was seen as arguably the most powerful holders of that position in the nation's history. Although many second-in-commands had to settle for minor or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised enormous power during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was frequently described as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and stated the connection was more complex. He observed that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush challenged even portrayals of their relationship as a collaboration because it implied that they were on equal footing. In spite of such protestations, Cheney considered the laidback president malleable on a wide array of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that featured Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he pushed hard for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in response to the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a session at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, commanding the destruction of any unresponsive airplanes approaching the US Capitol.
Cheney said the strikes altered his perspective, leading him to become intent on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Controversial Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the invasion, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the harsh treatment of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was founded on misleading intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It represented the right thing to do at that time. I believed it then and I hold that view now."
But even then, there were contrary opinions at a high level about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the government's own representatives to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I observed, at the very least," he wrote later "obvious failure, negligence, and unaccountability: at worst, falsehoods, unfitness, and dishonesty."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not completely accountable for the Iraq campaign. Before 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (including "access to vital raw materials, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be positioned to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically mentioning defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the first meeting of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had stated his intention of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and mooted military action against Iraq.
Bush bore a private grievance against Saddam, believing he had been responsible for a scheme to kill his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the most prominent accommodations in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a image of his parent's face that all visitors had to tread upon.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was one of the most vehement advocating striking Iraq, repeatedly citing information documents that were whether thin or entirely deceptive. He backed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the employment of simulated drowning and torture.
Answering a Senate report in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He stated to Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to establish protocols and put in place procedures to apprehend the individuals who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of praise."
Public Image
Cheney reveled in labels imposed on him by detractors such as Darth Vader and The Prince of Darkness, and by the concept that he was a shadow power manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 publication about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Do I represent the evil genius in the shadows that nobody ever sees emerge from his domain? It's a advantageous way to operate, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his business interests accompanied him through his period as VP. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but strong connections in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was invited to join Halliburton, one of the world's largest energy corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Debatably, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was awarded US contracts totaling substantial sums.
It significantly boosted his finances. His yearly compensation during his time at the company increased from his previous salary during his time as military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at more than $20m|twenty
