"Because the terrorist threat continues, the national emergency declared on September 14, 2001, and the powers and authorities adopted to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond September 14, 2016." - Barack Obama
@LOMS, after 9/11 the US declared a state of national emergency, which confers certain powers to for example the executive branch as necessary in crisis.
That crisis has been ongoing for closing in on twenty years now. And so have these crisis-time authorities.
Whenever 9/11 and Bush are mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the frozen deer in the headlights president in a room full of kids. I know I know, he was just thinking real real hard. There was smoke.