I think what John Edwards meant by his bumper sticker comment is that the phrase "war on terror" has been used and manipulated by the Bush administration and others to justify the situation in Iraq, certain provisions of the Patriot Act, torture, questionable wiretapping, not having little things like warrants, etc. When something no longer has any real meaning because of the way it is used and manipulated by people to justify their actions, it's a bumper sticker. It's cliche, it has lost its' real meaning.
"I don’t know where Bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02
Bush: “So I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him. … And, again, I don’t know where he is. I — I’ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. January 19, 2006.
How can anyone who wants to fight a real and legitimate war on terror ever say something like that? It's not the end of the war in terror but it's a start. Now we are left with even more motivation for terrorists and potential terrorists in that whole region. Bush will never face that fact, he lives in complete denial of it.