A recent report by CNN states that the Obama transition team is looking at all the executive orders that Bush passed and determining if they need revising. At first glance, this seems like a good thing. Off-shore drilling, unreasonable restrictions on stem-cell research and gag orders given to international groups to prevent comprehensive sex education, have all had a significantly negative impact on the U.S. both in terms of domestic and international policy as well as the world’s perception of this country as a whole.
However, though Obama promises change and promises to right the wrongs of the Bush administration, we’re still left with the process of how he plans to do this. First off, executive orders aren’t laws and therefore don’t require the approval or oversight of congress. If Bush’s executive orders are reversed by Obama’s executive orders then we still have an executive taking disproportionate control of the American government. Though I voted for Obama and believe that Bush’s policies were/are ignorant, shortsighted and narrow-minded, an executive that changes policies based on executive orders alone makes me nervous. On the other hand, perhaps the only way to efficiently and effectively reverse executive orders is through contrasting executive orders. Perhaps Obama must be trusted to listen to dissenting opinions in order to make the most pragmatic and practical decision possible. We’ll have to wait and see, but in the mean time, I’m dubious.
