Obama ‘to reverse Bush decisions’

November 10, 2008

Mr Obama

US President-elect Barack Obama will seek to reverse Bush administration policies when he enters office on 20 January, his transition chief has said.

John Podesta said executive orders by President George W Bush on issues such as stem cell research and oil drilling were at odds with Mr Obama’s views.

He said they could be easily repealed as no Congressional action was needed.

On Monday Mr Obama and Mr Bush will hold their first meeting since the Democrat’s election victory.

Mr Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters - Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven - will be given a tour of their new home at the White House.

Afterwards the president-elect and Mr Bush are expected to hold what Mr Obama has described as “substantive talks”.

‘Deliberate haste’

The meeting has been arranged with unusual haste - analysts say this is in part because the US is at war, and also the transition is taking place in the midst of an economic crisis.

Mr Obama has said that dealing with the economy is his top priority, and that he will move with “deliberate haste” to choose his cabinet.

You see the Bush administration even today moving aggressively to do things I think are not in the interest of the country

John Podesta

Speaking on Fox News, Mr Podesta said Mr Obama’s team was working hard to “build up that core economic team”.

Speaking on Friday in his first news conference as president-elect, Mr Obama said he would seek a constructive approach to the meeting with Mr Bush.

“I’m not going to anticipate problems. I’m going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship,” he said.

However, reports from Washington suggest Mr Obama’s transition team has been working hard to identify issues where executive decisions made by Mr Bush could be quickly repealed by Mr Obama.

Mr Podesta said the incoming administration was also scrutinising many of the executive orders signed by President Bush “on stem cell research, on a number of areas”.

In 2001, Mr Bush issued an executive order limiting federal funding for medical research using human embryo stem cells. Critics say the decision has hampered US research efforts into conditions including Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease.

The Washington Post reported that transition officials had compiled a list of some 200 executive orders to be considered for repeal.

Mr Podesta highlighted the Bush administration’s attempts to authorise oil and gas drilling in Utah as one order which could be easily repealed. The Washington Post said other orders affecting environmental legislation and abortion issues were also under consideration.

Potential plans for a last-minute rush of executive decisions by the White House were also being watched carefully, Mr Podesta said.

“You see the Bush administration even today moving aggressively to do things I think are not in the interest of the country,” he added.

There have been reports that Mr Bush’s administration plans to issue new executive orders - regulations by the president which do not go through Congress but which nevertheless have the force of law - on a range of potentially controversial issues including security, the environment, abortion and civil liberties.

“[Obama is] a transformational figure, and I think he’s going to transform the way government acts as we move forward,” Mr Podesta said.

The co-chair of Mr Obama’s transition team, Valerie Jarrett, said there could be a diverse, bipartisan cabinet.

“I’m confident his administration will include people from all perspectives,” she said.

Mr Bush’s chief of staff, Josh Bolten, pledged a smooth transition.

“If a crisis hits on January 21, they’re the ones who are going to have to deal with it. We need to make sure that they’re as well prepared as possible,” Mr Bolten said.

Obama ‘to reverse Bush decisions’

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