I would suspect a degree of optimism in using war language - after all, one of those is something you can possibly _win_. There is no winning a plague, only surviving it and counting your losses.
War on Poverty ... War on Drugs ... War on Terror ... "War" has lost much of its "punch" for me, and associates more with endless struggle, for me (unless used in purely historical terms, e.g., WWII).
(no subject)
(no subject)
"War" has lost much of its "punch" for me, and associates more with endless struggle, for me (unless used in purely historical terms, e.g., WWII).