Historically, regimes which start off democratic may become authoritarian by extending the limits of state bureaucracy. This may be manifest in the security apparatus and under the cover of an external (or internal) threat justification.
Our current course may yet result in a victory for the terrorists as the freedom which we cherish and they despise is encroached and progressively dismantled.
Al-Qaeda network a failure: US cable - Yahoo!7
And yet the 'war' continues.