The sensible thing would've been to severely clobber AQ in Afghanistan, bribe the Taliban to keep 'em out and not go to Iraq until we left there and were in Bush 43s second term.
What evidence in the history of the Taliban suggests they could simply be "bribed" to remove themselves from power?

Afghan history is not exactly a unitary repetition of events over 3,000 years, despite what Steven Pressfield would like to think. Among other things, there was the introduction of Islam and the replacement of most of the ethnic population.

The Taliban itself represents something new in Afghan history - a nontribal movement taking its inspiration purely from a religious and foreign base, the twin pillars of Deobandi extremist faith mixed with Pakistani backing, that managed to establish a firm central government over nearly the entire country.