According to John Podesta, Obama's transition co-chair, Obama's transition team has been going through "hundreds of Bush's executive orders", determining whether or not they require further review and possible turnovers. Obama may use executive orders to make his mark on Washington quickly, especially if he decides to lift the ban on stem cell research, as this would cause quite a stir not only in the political world but also religious, medical, and in the general public.
Stem cell research in particular has been a heavily debated topic during the Bush administration. In August of 2001, Bush stopped the National Institutes of Health from providing any funding for embryonic stem cell research. Despite the fact that stem cell research could help millions of people around the globe. People with diseases such as Parkinsons, Diabetes, and even spinal injuries could be helped, possibly even cured by stem cells. These people are definitely waiting for the Bush ban to be lifted on stem cell research. The controversy behind stem cell research is that researchers require human embryos for their research, which come from recently aborted fetus's. Conservatives are against this notion, and President Bush being a Conservative stunted the ability to pursue research into the capabilities of Stem Cells.
However with President-Elect Obama coming into office in January we are likely to see some of these orders overturned. If Obama were to reverse any of Bush's orders it would be an instant example of change in Washington.
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