Remember the govt trying to sneak through various acts designed to effectively remove freedoms that you are entitled to enjoy?
Oh, but thats ok, because there's a war on.
Torturing prisoners in a camp, dropping bombs on weddings?
Oh, but thats ok, because there's a war on.
Vitally important election, where the elected President will quite possibly have to choose several new members of the Supreme Court? Lets not forget that the Supreme Court is elected for life, which makes it important to make balanced choices... and not staff it with fundamental extremists.
Ah yes, but we MUST vote Bush, because there's a war on, and to vote anyone else would be to show a lack of conviction, to tell the terrorists "oh we made the wrong choice going to war".
And you don't think its about fear?
Fear makes people malleable, because they will cling to anything that will make them forget their fear, or anything which claims to cure their fear entirely. Fear gives those a power a viable reason to do whatever they like. The scared little sheep will trot along happily, because the government is taking steps to remove their fears.
Fear is employed as an interrogation tool, as an instrument of torture, as a way to BREAK PEOPLE, purely because they will cling to anything that will make them fear less.
You can look all the way back through history for many MANY examples of fear ruling a people.