Gandalf, what happened to your "all the commentators unanimously agree" and who is the "first Muslim" arguments? Have you jumped ship on them because your cut-and-paste deception was found out? I don't blame you personally, probably because you've never read the books that you pretended to quote from, however, the blame i guess falls squarely at the feet of the sites where you lifted these excerpts from. You weren't to know that you were being misinformed and sold half-truths. Never mind.
As for the hadith you've selected from Bukhari - again, i wonder how much thought you've really put into it? Have you, for example, collected all the narratives of this hadith to get a complete picture of what the Prophet (s) was actually saying? Do you even know where those other narratives can be found? Have you looked at the linguistic terms the Prophet (s) used in describing the "ashab" that he was referring to? Do you even care? Did you notice the Prophet (s) using the term "asyihab" in some of these traditions (also in al-Bukhari); this term explaining the meaning of his use of "ashab" in other narratives? That phrase shows that these hadith relate to nothing more than a "paltry few" individuals compared to the massive-majority of the Companions, may Allah be well-pleased with them all.
For your information, as many a commentator clarified centuries before you were born, it refers to those few who at first believed but then apostated soon after the Prophet's (s) death and remained on disbelief. It includes those who apostated and refused to pay zakah during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (r) - they were fought on that account. It includes those weak minded bedouins who joined the ranks of the false prophet Musaylima. It includes the descendents of the man who accused the Prophet (s) of not being fair in his distribution of the war booty. The khawarij, as the Prophet (s) predicted, arose from him. You may have noticed that a common denominator found among all these groups is that they hated and fought against the Prophet's (s) Companions both physically and verbally, much like you and your friends are now doing. Makes you think doesn't it? So rather than deceiving yourself into thinking that the hadith applies to others, you might want to reflect on whether you are in effect pointing the finger at none other than your own self.
Sadly for you, the hadith doesn't at all relate to the Companions of the Prophet (s) that you want to disparage. I know how much of a disappointment that must be to you.
After describing the sacrifices made by the Companions, Allah says:
{And those who come after them say: Our Lord! forgive us and those of our brethren who who were before us in the faith, and do not allow any spite to remain in our hearts towards those who believe, our Lord! surely Thou art Kind, Merciful.} (59:10)
Better to ask forgiveness and have good opinion of those who preceded you in faith rather than offering them your good deeds on a plate by disparaging them.
And Allah is the one who grants success.
Iqbal