[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

History is replete with examples of BOTH Dems and Repubs exploiting news, wars, tragedies, etc. for political gain. For example, FDR (a God to most Dems) talked a lot about "not fearing fear," but then he used bad intelligence to imprison hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans. The "internment camps" make Gitmo and the secret detentions look rather trivial. Neither side has a monopoly on cheap exploitation IMO. As much as I love this country and our system of government, I've never fully trusted my government and I never will.

As for the "war on terrorism," I think the Repubs use it for political advantage. But, on the other hand, I think they also genuinely feel that the war on terrorism is more "real" than Dems.