Sen. Joe Lieberman, in an address memorializing slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, defines the battle against Islamist extremism.

NATO defense ministers express agreement with General McChrystal's plan to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this will not push the politicians in their countries to provide more troops to get the job done.

For President Obama, the fall below 50% in the job approval ratings looms. Will he be like Reagan, who saw the ratings languish under 50% for two years, only to rebound dramatically in early 1984, eventually leading to his landslide reelection? Or will he be like Johnson, who saw his numbers briefly rebound in late 1966, only to see them slide into oblivion during 1967 and '68, eventually causing him to decide not to seek reelection? Only time will tell, and the state of the economy and the progress of our nation's two wars will be the deciding factors.