Someone once quipped something like "A Republican is a Democrat who's been mugged". We got mugged on 9/11. I wonder if there would be a significant statistical correlation between this poll and one asking "Do you still feel affected significantly by the events of 9/11?". Or is it that people who didn't vote for Bush woke up and saw beyond their political affiliation long enough to stop their knees from jerking when asked polling questions?
It worked for Clinton.
The media forgot to tell the public that it only applied to Democratic Presidents.
The public doesn't know any better. So they think that people who make making critical statements about Dubya are mean spirited, unpatriotic and are doing something that only evil people would do. They don't like people who do that.