Amid the high-stakes of a presidential campaign, it was inspiring to see two women in the public eye stand up for their beliefs in the face of intense criticism from the political left.

Incredibly, one represented Hollywood and the other was from network television news, not exactly bastions of conservative thought and commentary. In fact, those two left-leaning elements were instrumental in helping propel Barack Obama to victory in 2008. Democratic strategists felt they once again had these groups locked in their pocket in this election until Obama's debate meltdown last week flipped the race and handed Mitt Romney the momentum.Laura Logan, chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, and a correspondent for 60 Minutes, showed amazing courage and strength after being sexually assaulted by an Egyptian mob celebrating the fall of dictator Hosni Mubarak in February of 2011. Last week, she again showed fortitude by standing for what she believes in a speech before the Better Government Association in Chicago. Logan talked about this administration's failure in taming the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan and how the terrorists still hate us now more than ever, despite Obama's campaign rhetoric."I chose this subject because, one, I can't stand, that there is a major lie being propagated," Logan told the audience. "The lie is that America's military might has tamed the Taliban."There is this narrative coming out of Washington for the last two years. That would be Obama, folks, not Bush. It is driven in part by Taliban apologists, who claim they are just the poor moderate, gentler, kinder Taliban. It's such nonsense!"In advance of next week's presidential debate on foreign policy, Logan gave us something to think about when she called for retribution for the recent terrorist killings of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other officials. That security breakdown is the subject of the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing now going on Washington. The administration's failure to supply the needed security at the U.S. consulate is yet another devastating blow to Obama's foreign policy resume.Logan said the attacks on Sept. 11 showed how vulnerable we have become and hopes that America will "exact revenge and let the world know that the United States will not be attacked on its own soil, that its ambassadors will not be murdered, and that the United States will not stand by and do nothing about it."The CBS correspondent deserves credit for calling out this administration and its "Taliban apologists."The other personality who showed great courage in the midst of hateful attacks from the left was actress Stacey Dash, who movie buffs may know from the movie "Clueless." After announcing her support for Mitt Romney, Dash received a barrage of Twitter messages from Obama supporters.A number of them charged that Dash wasn't "really" black because she had the nerve to vote for Romney. Those were among the milder comments, most of which assailed her on race and gender.Dash, who admitted voting for Obama in 2008, says she's endorsing Mitt Romney this time around because she wants the next four years to be different. She said after watching Romney and his wife on Meet the Press, they seemed genuine and authentic and made her feel they were speaking to her personally.Dash admitted being shocked and saddened by the negative and hateful responses to her decision to go for Romney. With such a deep political divide in this country and with Hollywood tending to be heavily Democratic, Dash showed courage in putting her beliefs in America's future ahead of her film career.By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com