Recently, among the on-going same-sex marriage controversy, President Obama exhibited a moment of compromise by extending benefit rights to same-sex partners of Federal employees. The order does not require Congressional action under law, and it will ensure same-sex partners get to enjoy new benefits such as child care, medical leave, and relocation expenses.

In another compromising move, President Obama recently called on Congress to roll back tax breaks to oil companies, saying the use of those funds would be better spent on researching alternative fuel methods. The catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf—which BP even considered nuking to stop—served as a backdrop for the call, a vivid example of the dangers of heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

On a less-flexible front, Bill O’Reilly exercised his freedom of speech recently, in discussing the French McDonald’s ad depicting a gay customer. The ad is part of the “Come as you are” campaign that seeks to open doors to people from all walks of life. When discussing these walks of life, Bill O’Reilly said, “Do they have an Al-Qaeda ad?” Of course, Bill O’Reilly has also been heard comparing transgender people to Ewoks, so how much sensitivity can we really expect from him?