The late US VP Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as one of the most significant incumbents of that position in American history. Whereas many VPs had to settle for minor or symbolic roles, Cheney exercised enormous influence during the presidency of George W Bush, so much so that he was often described as the "true president".
Bush disliked such a characterisation and stated the connection was more complicated. He pointed out that Cheney was respectful, consistently addressing him in public settings as President, while he called him as Dick. Bush challenged even descriptions of their partnership as a team because it indicated that they were on equal footing. Regardless of such protestations, Cheney viewed the laidback president accommodating on a wide array of governmental choices.
A Period Following the Attacks
Leading of a faction of conservative hawks that encompassed defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon second-in-command 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 attending a session at a educational institution in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, ordering the downing of any non-communicating aircraft heading toward the government building.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become determined on revenge. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he campaigned for a occupation of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the military action of Iraq, though there was little proof of Saddam Hussein having involvement.
Debated Decisions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, or about the waterboarding of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion, which was founded on inaccurate reports circulated by Cheney, was the correct course of action. "It proved to be the right thing to do then. I was convinced then and I believe it presently."
But even then, there were opposing views at a high level about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I observed, as a baseline," he subsequently stated "clear negligence, negligence, and unaccountability: potentially, lying, unfitness, and graft."
Broader Context
Cheney was not entirely responsible for the Iraq invasion. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a memo detailing circumstances in which US concerns might be compromised (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had asserted that "the US should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing armed actions against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office generally inclined on executing what his parent had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the president, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill recounted how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of lowering America's involvement in the Middle East dispute and mooted armed intervention against Iraq.
Bush carried a personal grudge against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to murder his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a journey to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore resented that one of the most prominent hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a image of his father's visage that all visitors had to walk over.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both weak or entirely misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration indirectly described as "enhanced interrogation", the application of waterboarding and harsh treatment.
Responding to a Senate report in 2014 that found that no actionable intelligence had been obtained through the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We asked [the CIA] to implement measures and create procedures to capture the bastards who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it never happened again. That was specifically what they did and they merit a lot of credit."
Public Image
Cheney took pleasure in monikers assigned to him by opponents such as the dark character and The Prince of Darkness, and by the notion that he was a shadow power controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the duo, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is cited as commenting: "Do I represent the malevolent mastermind in the shadows that remains unseen come out of his lair? This represents a advantageous way to work, actually."
Business Interests
Debate over his corporate affiliations accompanied him during his tenure as second-in-command. While he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in military, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest petroleum companies, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Debatably, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was granted US contracts totaling multiple billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his time at the company grew from his previous salary when he was military head to over four million. When he left in 2000 he had a package valued at in excess of $20m|twenty
