If the American people really come to a settled belief that Bush lied us into war, his presidency will be over.

There will be trying times during Obama's presidency, and liberty will need staunch defenders. Can Obama reshape liberalism to be, as it was under F.D.R., a fighting faith, unapologetically patriotic and strong in the defense of liberty? That would be a service to our country.

The president knows we have to win this war. If some of his subordinates are trying to find ways to escape from it, he needs to assert control over them, overrule them or replace them. What the president needs to do now is tell the Pentagon to stop talking about (and planning for) withdrawal, and make sure they are planning for victory.

Surely our inaction with respect to Syria is a poor precedent if we're fighting a war on terror.

Surely our inaction with respect to Syria is a poor precedent if we're fighting a war on terror.

To be a great president, you have to have a war. All the great presidents have had their wars.