A favorite narrative on the left is that the Bush Administration was a group of backwood hicks who believed in voodoo and tried to shut down science itself. That this interpretation is obviously a ridiculous exaggeration is unsurprisingly no impediment to their faith in it—nor does it stop them from their immature belief that somehow politicians can insulate scientists from political influence by simply issuing orders to that effect.
That being said, there’s no question that the Bush Administration’s restriction of funding for research on stem cells (not a ban, as is often claimed) was profoundly misguided, from both a practical and a moral point of view. It was based on the proposition that individual cells can qualify as “human” for purposes of moral rights—a premise so absurd that it can be supported only by alleged mystical revelations. That the Obama Administration is eliminating that restriction is a step in the right direction and ought to be applauded...even though it can rightly be seen as another corporate welfare scheme.
Still, one would like to see the actual text of the executive order he signed today. But it hasn’t been made available for some reason. Nor has the text of the order supposedly magically insulating scientists from political influence.
Update: Here it is.
