The Obama Administration recently announced limits on CEO salaries at bailed-out corporations, arguing that taxpayer dollars should not fund excessive executive compensation. The American Taxpayer should not kid herself: unless the IRS changes its policies, taxpayers will continue to subsidize unreasonable compensation paid by publicly held corporations.

Every publicly...

The images from Libya are horrifying: Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted for the bombing of Pan Am 103, has returned home to a hero's welcome. Since al-Megrahi is dying of prostate cancer, a Scottish judge released him on "compassionate" grounds.

The United States strenuously objected...

In Cairo, President Obama employed a variety of historical, liturgical, and political references to express America's hope for a new beginning with the Islamic world.

Obama also noted that, "The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars." His...

The California Supreme Court ruled today that Proposition 8, limiting marriage in California to "opposite-sex couples," is a valid amendment to the California State Constitution. While some commentators criticize the California Court's decision, Strauss v. Horton is actually good for gay marriage in the long term.

The Court's decision...

President Obama made an admirable call for a civil discourse on abortion at Notre Dame's commencement. While there was much controversy leading up to Obama's address, his speech was generally well received by the Fighting Irish, and not just because of the sports references.

Obama successfully couched his underlying...

The Vermont legislature recently overrode Governor Douglas's veto and added Vermont to the list of states that have legalized gay marriage. This was a momentous occasion for supporters of equal rights. However, as we celebrate, progressives should recognize three larger lessons from Vermont's experience.

First, federalism can be progressive. For...

Larry Summers claims that nothing can be done about the AIG bonuses. As a former Secretary of the Treasury, he should know better.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should direct the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to challenge the AIG bonuses as unreasonable compensation under the Internal Revenue Code. Finding the AIG...

Bernie Madoff is trying to strike a plea bargain. The U.S. Attorney's office shouldn't let him.

Reports indicate that Madoff's guilty plea could come as early as next week. While the image of this modern-day Ponzi sitting in jail will warm many hearts, Madoff should not be given the...

President Obama's speech to Congress stood on the shoulders of prophets, playwrights, and hobbits. From J.F.K. to an Australian pop band, here are the ten sources behind the most memorable lines of Obama's recent address:

1) "Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of...

There are currently more civilian contractors in Iraq than members of the United States Army. The most infamous is the private security force, Xe (The-Firm-Formerly-Known-as-Blackwater). Xe has approximately 1000 military contractors in Iraq who guard U.S. government installations and personnel.

Because of a legislative loophole, Xe and many of its...

Yesterday, Miguel Tejada became the first high-profile major leaguer to be convicted of a crime in the Era of Juice. He pled guilty to charges of withholding information when questioned in 2005 by congressional staffers about Rafael Palmeiro's steroid use. There are those who will call this the first true...

Last week, in the midst of an election campaign, military operations, and economic crisis, nine judges affirmed their country's commitment to the rule of law and democracy. Their decision reflects their country's hopeful future.

If you're wondering why you haven't heard about this decision, it's because those nine judges weren't...

President Barack Obama's inaugural address was good, but not truly canonical. At 2,396 words, Obama's full speech was too cumbersome for the front row of history (for reference, Lincoln's Second Inaugural was 698 words; the Gettysburg Address was 278). Nevertheless, the inaugural address contained many passages that will enter into...

While the sordid saga of Rod Blagojevich's Senate Seat Sale unfolds, a variety of Illinois politicos are trying to stop Blagojevich from appointing Obama's successor. The Illinois legislature meets on Monday to discuss what to do. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin has called upon the legislature to schedule a special election....

I noted earlier that Obama sought to unify and inspire last Tuesday night, and that he employed two of America's great oratorical figures to do so: Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Invoking Lincoln, Obama declared, "Government of the people, by the people and for the people...

Obama and McCain accomplished two very different objectives last night: Obama unified and inspired; McCain departed with grace. Here's what history will remember of the speeches of November 4, 2008:

There were two themes in Obama's speech: unity and inspiration, and two historical figures: Lincoln and...