Can't disagree with anything said so far. But we must also blame the sheep-like, moronic and naive Americans (including the politicians) who chanted
"we're better off fightin' 'em over thar than over hyar". I was at a business conference as this bullshit move by W. Bush was getting going. The only people who called "rat" were myself and the Canadians who were there - and it got really tense during a dinner one night. I listened to the
supposedly smart Americans there repeat the propaganda lines they'd been taught (like brainless parrots): Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were in it together on 9/11 - they were pals/buddies.
Let's remember that (depending on which poll you look at) back then
over 40% of Americans believed that one or more Iraqis was involved in hijacking at least one of the flights that crashed into the WTC. There were NONE!!! Stupid people should not be allowed to vote, speak... or breathe. This episode began my (even more) intense hatred of neocons, Evangelical wingnuts and Zionists. And political correctness be damned, I will never apologize for my beliefs. These people have done more to damage this republic than Al Qaeda, or any group of terrorists, ever could (IMO).