Actually, this is exactly my point. In my view the left voiced whatever support they did after 9/11 with their fingers crossed. They were just waiting for the opportune set of circumstances to revert to form. You are correct that Bush gave them too many openings to criticize, but no matter what he did he was going to be criticized eventually. Think of Hillary’s body language during the speech Bush gave at the National Cathedral right after 9/11. The media, in my view, is full of the same types of people.
Regarding Iraq, WMD, and Afghanistan, I agree that it was a mistake making WMD such a prominent issue. If Bush had stated at that time that Hussein had the capacity to make WMD, if though we couldn’t be sure if he already had stockpiles, Bush would have avoided the biggest opening he gave the Democrats. I personally don’t think he needed the WMD argument to get public approval to go after Iraq. This is NOT going to be a short war, irrespective of what happens in Iraq. This is a global war to protect ourselves and our way of life against a cult-like ideology. If we’d have stopped in Afghanistan all of the same players that are spilling across the border into Iraq would have gone to Afghanistan instead, and Bush would be criticized for not winning the peace in Afghanistan quicker.
The fact that many Americans ‘don’t understand’ the WOT is a sad statement about our current culture. Most Americans know how to ‘dial in’ American Idol, and they have long enough attention spans to know who Trump fires, or who gets ‘voted off the island’. Americans can’t afford to have ADD when it comes to our national security.
Which is why we should have finished this by now, at any cost. If we weren't prepared to take out our enemies in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran we shouldn't have made our move when we did.
They're supplying our enemies in Iraq, and we all know it.