That's our hole card (assuming it doesn't get completely hosed in next week's uberpatch 1.9): we can usually stand up and take more outright raw punishment than damn near any other class. At least Protection-spec or Holy spec, anyway...this is how I managed to outlive my entire party by about a solid minute during my first run at Princess Theradras in Maraudon. The bubble is your friend. Love the bubble.
EDIT: by the same token...if we even had half the attack stuff people originally wanted, we'd be giving high-level warriors serious,
serious competition. And perhaps that was the point...