The problem with calling a global issue that isn’t likely to go away soon a “war” (like the war on drugs) is that wars are supposed to have a beginning and an end. Historically, leaders have invoked war powers to facilitate command and control in a time of crisis. In these cases, some limitations on the usual freedoms of speech, assembly, and so on are abridged, with the understanding that they will be restored once the threat has been contained.

Using the “war on terror” as an excuse to wage a poorly thought out action in Iraq, spy on citizens, torture people with no due process, etc. and so on, is what makes the phrase virtually useless. The public will not submit to having their rights taken away permanently for a “war” that is really a set of strategies and tactics, not a “war” in the classic sense.