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...Bush/Cheney assumed that 9/11 ushered in an era of PERMANENT EMERGENCY (an oxymoron, of course), which entitled them, they believed, to do anything they wanted in the name of defense, indefinitely.
Who knows what W is aware of, but Cheney assumed no such thing. He saw an opportunity to act without significant opposition or accountability. So he did what he wanted, and it did not turn out the way he expected.