"A British newspaper is reporting that President Obama is angry with Afghan commander General Stanley McChrystal for blunt comments McChrystal delivered about the war. It doesn't really matter whether President Obama is annoyed with General McChrystal; what's important is that the president wage the war effectively. The far left MoveOn outfit is telling its supporters to contact the White House and tell the president to devise an exit strategy. Some on the right feel the fight is futile as well, so the pressure is on President Obama. But the longer General McChrystal's request for more troops goes unanswered, the more doubt there will be about the president. After all, he has no experience fighting a war, and equivocation always translates into a weak profile. Talking Points believes the NATO investment in Afghanistan is worthwhile and would send the additional 40,000 troops with a timetable for increased stability. That doesn't mean we stay there if the chaos can not be contained, but it does mean that all measures should be taken before we change tactics. McChrystal looks like a guy who knows what he's doing; the president looks like a guy who is unsure. I'll go with the general on this one."

The Factor was joined by retired General Wesley Clark, who stressed the need for a definitive strategy in Afghanistan. "When the commander on the ground says he needs more troops," Clark said, "you better listen. But I don't think it's wrong for the administration to really do a gut check and make sure we have the right mission and the right strategy. There are a lot of similarities to Vietnam here, where President Johnson got pushed into sending troops before he got a proper strategic assessment. We should be comforted by the fact that the president is going to take a week of deliberations to work this out." The Factor suggested that President Obama has seemed overly cautious. "He's looking to the world like he doesn't know what to do. It may not be fair, but that's the perception. I would say we're going to send more troops and I would say to the world that we have a commitment."

Fox News analysts Mary Katharine Ham and Juan Williams debated whether President Obama risks being perceived as indecisive. "There's a problem," Williams said, "in that this time frame is being elongated and people are wondering who's in charge. If you're an American soldier on the ground, it's not good to see this division at the top. Wimps get picked on by bullies in the schoolyard, and the same thing happens in global politics." Ham laid out President Obama's conundrum. "Barack Obama is famously a very good deliberator and sometimes not a great decider, specifically when it might be unpopular. He's got his left flank yelling at him for an exit strategy, but he's the one who said this is the right war and he is committed to it. The militant Islamists will take this as a great celebration if we don't go forth and try to get this done."

47-year-old Michael Barrett has been charged with stalking ESPN's Erin Andrews and taking video footage of the naked Andrews in her hotel room. Former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro explained the gravity of the case. "This guy was clearly intending to stalk her and harass her," Pirro reported, "so the feds came in and I suspect there will be additional charges. I worry about guys like this - a lot of people start this way and then go to sexual assault." Pirro also criticized the hotels that provided Barrett with information about Andrews. "Hotels should not confirm or deny that you're even in the hotel, and they should not allow a stranger to call and say he wants to be next door to Erin Andrews. As far as I'm concerned these hotels are civilly liable." The Factor predicted that Barrett will not do more than five years because "he didn't have a record and he's a mental case."

Tonya Reiman began her body language analysis with Michael Moore's impassioned threat to target Democrats who vote against health care reform. "I think this comes from the heart," Reiman said. "I'm looking for cues of deception, which he does not leave. He definitely feels passionate about this." Reiman then trained her gimlet eye on Bill Maher, who derided Sarah Palin as "useless" on Jay Leno's program. "Maher is 'alpha' all the way and he never backs down. Leno backs away, Bill Maher leans forward, and I definitely got the impression that there is some tension between these two." Reiman also watched President Obama's warning to Iran. "His voice was nowhere near as melodious as it usually is, and he didn't seem to be engaging. He really didn't come across as very strong."

The Factor asked FNC analyst Bernie Goldberg to assess the media's handling of the David Letterman extortion case. "The coverage was basically fair," Goldberg said, "but that doesn't tell you about the media's biases. Let's say it wasn't Letterman involved in a sex scandal, but it was Rush Limbaugh. They would have given that story more ink than Hiroshima and they would have turned the extortionist into a national hero. So they treat it one way when they like you and another way when they don't like you." Goldberg also let loose on Hollywood types who are defending Roman Polanski. "To call what Polanski did 'disgusting' doesn't do justice to the word 'disgusting.' And the reaction from the bozo community in Hollywood is unbelievable. There is no penalty in Hollywood - a moral cesspool - for supporting a pervert. I just wonder how open-minded these 'artistes' would be if it were their 13-year-old daughter who was given drugs and alcohol by a man in his 40's who then sodomized her."

The Factor began Monday's Reality Check segment with this excerpt from a Saturday Night Live spoof of President Obama: "On my first day in office I said we'd close Guantanamo Bay. Is it closed yet? No. I said we'd be out of Iraq. Are we? Not the last time I checked. How about health care reform? Hell, no!" Meanwhile, September's cable ratings are out, and the home team is celebrating. The Factor's Check: "Fox News Channel had the top thirteen programs in cable news. The Factor was # 1 by a large margin and, once again, we thank you all." The Factor's final Check dealt with sartorial splendor: "My tie this evening symbolizes 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month,' so please pay attention to breast cancer."

Monday's Patriot: ABC's Cokie Roberts, who said this about Roman Polanski: "As far as I'm concerned, just take him out and shoot him." And the Pinhead: Former roundballer Charles Barkley, who said Alabamans "won't vote for a black man."

Justine Kuruo, Forest Lake, MN: "Bill, I am a 20-year-old college student and that transgender cartoon they are showing California school kids made me uncomfortable. I can't imagine what it's like for the kids."

Matthew Craffey, Thousand Oaks, CA: "Here in Ventura County, a 15-year-old cross dresser was murdered last year. The issue needs to be addressed."

Randi Becker Walls, Dayton, OH: "Eating poorly and smoking are as irresponsible as driving recklessly or driving drunk."

Father John Mittelstadt, Tohatchi, NM: "I think the 'no spin' mat would look great outside my confessional."