I think that it was a leftover from our Cold War support for separatist Muslims who were attacking Russia; the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that. That was one of the reasons we were supporting radicals in Afghanistan and other places.
Short-sighted move, but then, nobody realized how dangerous this 7th century death cult could be, even in modern times. That said, I can’t see what Bush’s excuse could be now, in 2007, for supporting radical Muslims.
Ooops, make that 2008!