Since Nixon, we have seen that the Republican Party has thrived on the national security state, and the use of the threat of war to maintain power. They have been able to dominate the nation, and to subvert our democracy by portraying their political opponents as being "soft" on national security. In actuality, they create enemies and foster antagonistic relationships with other world powers. This helps them to maintain their power, and to take away the civil liberties of American citizens by claiming that democratic civil liberties are a luxury that can only be afforded during peacetime (and they do everything that they can to make sure that peacetime does not return, as this would eliminate their reason for being in control).
They thrived on the cold war. When it ended, they thrashed about aimlessly, trying to stir up trouble. They found a convenient enemy in Saddam. Now, they have managed to turn Islamic fundamentalism into what communism used to be--America's permanent enemy.
Success, Republicans, you have learned how to manipulate America into constant state of war, in which civil liberties can be permanently suspended.