I read it the other way. When Democrats speak of ‘climate of fear’, they are calling Republicans paranoid and politially manpulative in the worst way - using national defense for political gain.
Recall Jimmy Carter’s ‘inordinate fear of Communism’, and this week Obama saying Iran is not a threat :
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/05/obama_tells_75000_oregonians_i.html
If he reveals the manipulation, he reveals it inadvertently.
The fact that it’s the MSM that keeps up the drumbeat of “worse than ever!” tells me it’s all about convincing the public that Bush has “created more terrorists” with his “illegal war” which is “not working anyway.” If the terrorism level goes down, it means Bush did the right thing, and the surge is working. We all know the MSM doesn’t want anyone thinking THAT.