W set the tone after 9/11, just as FDR set the tone after Pearl Harbor. The difference, of course, is that FDR knew we were in an all-out war, and he said as much.
On the other hand W treated 9/11 as if it were some sort of odd rogue attack that could be easily dealt with.
Bush’s “Islam is a religion of peace” idiocy should have disqualified him from making any decisions more critical than selecting which tie to wear for the State of the Union address.