During last night's big discussion on religion and global politics, led by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, hedge fund superstar (and Sears boss) Eddie Lampert got up to ask a question.

All the panelists (Albright, Queen Noor of Jordan, Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch, David Ignatius of The Washington Post, and Dr. Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia) had been more or less critical of the Bush Administration's approach to foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. Lampert pointed out that a similarly elite panel in the 1980s would have said the same negative things about Ronald Reagan, yet Reagan's foreign policy approach has since gone down in history as a great success.

"What would have to happen," Lampert asked the panel, "to convince you that you were wrong?"

Albright had a pretty straightforward answer. "The situation in Iraq would have to stabilize to the point that it is seen as a great success." Roth of Human Rights Watch offered a response that was less on-topic but certainly interesting: "The U.S. has to live by its ideals so we can promote democracy and not be embarrassed by it."