LEXICON: GWOT

DEFINITION gee-waht n: a Bush Administration acronym for the global war on terrorism

CONTEXT Republicans have affectionately embraced this shorthand post-9/11. The military began issuing GWOT medals. John Kerry made notable use of the phrase in his '04 nomination speech.

USAGE Woe is GW0T? At a recent debate, Brian Williams asked the eight Democratic presidential candidates to raise their hands if there "is such thing as a global war on terror." Clinton and Obama raised their hands. John Edwards was among those who did not. "This political language has created a frame that is not accurate and that Bush and his gang have used to justify anything they want to do," Edwards tells TIME. The White House, for its part, insists President Bush isn't changing his policy--or his vocabulary.