The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.

Step 1: Pay Your Taxes
“How to Avoid a Tom Daschle Tax Problem”–headline, New York Times, Feb. 4

The Obama Lexicon
From a report by Adam Nagourney of the New York Times on Michael Steele, new chairman of the Republican National Committee:

The new face of the Republican Party does not seem to share the hunger for bipartisanship that Mr. Obama has made one of the stylistic touchstones of his first weeks in office. That became clear from the moment Mr. Steele took the job on Friday, as he all but invited the president of the United States to join him in the boxing ring.

We have a question for those of our readers who work for the Times – and don’t worry, we’ll respect your anonymity if you email us with the answer:

Has the Times stylebook actually been rewritten since last month to reflect the new definition of bipartisanship as “unquestioning agreement with the president”?

The Sullenberger Standard
So, is there anyone in America who is ethical enough to meet the Killefer Standard? Yes, to judge by this report from KPCC-FM in Pasadena, Calif.:

Chesley Sullenberger has a problem. He borrowed a book from the Danville Library–and it’s overdue. To complicate matters, the book was an interlibrary loan from Fresno State.

Sullenberger contacted librarians and asked for an extension on the loan and a waiver on the overdue fine. The reason? The book is in the cargo hold of the US Airways plane that made an emergency landing last month in New York’s Hudson River. Sullenberger is the pilot who made that landing. No one was seriously injured.

Fresno State library officials were impressed with Sullenberger’s sense of responsibility . . . and waived all fines and fees, even the one for losing the book. The library’s going one step further: when the replacement book goes up on the shelf, it will have a special template in front, dedicating it to Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

Oh, by the way. The topic of that book? Professional ethics.

President Obama could nominate Sullenberger to a cabinet post (or a few), although the result probably would not be good for air safety in America.

For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.”