President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team has been working for months on a plan to undo many of President George W. Bush’s actions without Obama having to consult with Congress. According to the New York Times, the team has made a list of approximately 200 items, which Obama could reverse immediately after taking office.

Of the 200 items, the most important ones are probably stem cell research executive orders and issues related to abortion.

With regards to stem cell research, Obama will enable the federal government to fund it immediately. Stem cell research is believed to enable scientists to find cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s and others that continue to ruin hundreds of thousands, even millions of lives. However, days-old human embryos are used for stem cell research which are destroyed in the process. Many conservative Christians oppose such research for that very reason. Bush agreed with them, signing an order that would prevent the federal government from funding it.

Obama may now undo that highly controversial move shortly or even immediately after taking office.

Also, the team has advised Obama to lift a so-called global gag rule, which bars international ‘family planning’ groups that receive U.S. funding to inform women about the availability of abortion.

Although Obama expects to work closely with Congress in the coming years, he also wants to bypass Congress when he can. He will be able to do so in order to ‘undo the damage,’ from his perspective, caused by Bush in the first days after taking office, by simply focusing on regulation and social issues. Which is exactly what he intends to do.

The above mentioned policy changes are probably supported en masse by the American people, although most certainly not by Republicans. They will be controversial in so far that the average Republican will not be happy with the changes, considering it to be part of the ‘culture war’ they have been fighting with liberals for decades now.

He will also almost immediately act against global warming, the Times report explains. He might even officially declare that carbon dioxide emissions are endangering human welfare, and he might ‘create a National Energy Council to coordinate all policymaking related to global climate change.’

Although many believe global warming to be real, and partially man-made, many also believe that jumping to conclusions and implementing policiies out of fear is unwise. Rather, the average person believes, leaders should look at the situation seriously, and come up with ways to limit the damage. However, the first move Obama will make in this regard is to let California and other states to determine their own strict rules for automakers. This would most likely be welcomed by liberals and moderates and perhaps even by conservatives who believe the government does not have the right to tell states what to do in this regard; Bush intervened only to help automakers, not out of ideological reasons.

And so, Obama will act immediately after taking office, thereby undoing many of Bush’s decisions. Bush’s legacy lives on though, in the Supreme Court and Iraq,