You don't want your population any more fearful than necessary. The fact that Pres. Bush has been able to prosecute this war AWAY from our shores and keep the economy strong tells me he's doing things just right.
Throwing terms around comparing this to WWII where we lost 500,000 would inject a spirit which cause Americans to pull back from working and living boldly. This would deflate the economy which would, in turn, be disastrous for military funding.
"War on Terror" is just fine in my book. And Pres. Bush is a great CIC.
"You don't want your population any more fearful than necessary."
What, are we all cowards, incapable of facing the truth?
Liberal girly men may react with enuresis, but I have to think that most American men will rise to the challenge.