The late US vice-president Dick Cheney, who passed away at age 84, was regarded as among the most significant incumbents of that office in the nation's history. Whereas numerous VPs were confined to peripheral or symbolic positions, Cheney exercised substantial sway during the administration of George W Bush, so much so that he was often referred to as the "true president".
Bush disliked that description and claimed the connection was more nuanced. He noted that Cheney was courteous, consistently calling him in public settings as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even characterisations of their partnership as a partnership because it suggested that they were peers. Regardless of these denials, Cheney found the laidback president accommodating on a broad range of governmental choices.
The Period Following the Attacks
At the head of a contingent of conservative hawks that included Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld and deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. During of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been taking part in a gathering at a school in Florida. As Bush traveled to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney assumed control, directing the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes approaching the government building.
Cheney claimed the assaults transformed him, leading him to become intent on retaliation. Along with other neo-cons, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a invasion of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then vigorously pushed for the military action of Iraq, though there was insufficient indication of Saddam Hussein playing a role.
Disputed Actions
He expressed no regrets about the military campaign, in which an reckoned 100,000 Iraqis died, or about the enhanced interrogation of detainees apprehended after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on misleading information echoed by Cheney, was the proper path to take. "It proved to be the correct action to do then. I was convinced then and I hold that view presently."
But during that period, there were dissenting voices at a top tier about the poor management of Iraq. One of the White House's own delegates to the Middle East, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the role. "I witnessed, at the very least," he wrote later "clear negligence, negligence, and recklessness: at worst, lying, ineptitude, and corruption."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely accountable for the Iraq military action. Even before 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for comparable steps. He had drafted a memorandum setting out situations in which American interests might be compromised (featuring "obtaining crucial commodities, mainly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had contended that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be arranged," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush also had entered the Oval Office vaguely intent on executing what his predecessor had notably declined to do in 1991; remove Saddam. After he had been sacked by the administration, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his intention of lowering America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a individual resentment against Saddam, thinking he had been involved in a plot to assassinate his predecessor, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the largest hotels in Baghdad had a floor mural with a likeness of his parent's countenance that each person had to step on.
Interrogation Methods
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement behind striking Iraq, frequently referencing agency briefings that were either weak or totally misleading. He endorsed what the Bush administration politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the use of interrogation method and harsh treatment.
Addressing a Senate analysis in 2014 that concluded that no valuable data had resulted from the harsh techniques, Cheney rejected the report as "loaded with crap". He told Fox News: "We instructed [the CIA] to establish protocols and establish initiatives to capture the individuals who took the lives of 3,000 of us on 9/11 and ensure it was not repeated. That was specifically what they did and they earn a lot of recognition."
Public Image
Cheney enjoyed monikers imposed on him by detractors such as the dark character and the dark figure, and by the notion that he was a sinister influence manipulating Bush. In the author's 2013 book about the two, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the evil genius in the background that operates invisibly leave his lair? This represents a effective way to function, in fact."
Commercial Ties
Debate over his commercial relationships pursued him through his period as VP. Even though he had limited background in commerce but strong connections in security, especially in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial energy conglomerates, in 1995 as chair and chief executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the presidency. Contentiously, during the military campaign, Halliburton was given US deals valued at multiple billions.
It made him rich. His yearly earnings during his time at the corporation rose from his $258,394 while military head to millions. When he departed in 2000 he had a package totaling over $20m|twenty
