The reasons are many. Here's one speculation. Maybe he's buying the election for his nephew George Bush III (Jeb's hispanic son) 20 years down the road. In which case GWB's "hands off" behavior would be explained...they need the voting block.
GWB is so gunho since 9/11 and willing to commit military force on anybody remotely looking like a terrorist around the world. Speech after speech the point is made also. There is a massive disconnect in the logic of prosecuting the war on terror. The inconsistency is just too large when you leave a 700 mile wide hole in your defenses yet fight only in the middle east. I'm not a military "strategerieist", but I have always known that securing the base camp was high up on the list along with communications and shelter.
amen.