As bad as all these last minute executive orders from the Shrub are, why do they matter?

[eridani]

Can't Obama reverse them as soon as he takes office?

[Amy6627]

1. That is exactly what I was thinking! n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I hope so, but have heard that they are lot harder to UNDO than to do...dammit!!!

[damntexdem]

3. No, he will have to go through a process, including public-comment periods.

It will take a while to reverse them. And some will have resulted in irrevocable damage in the meantime.

Nothing can happen until Jan. 5; but then the new Congress should immediately impeach and convict Dubya and Cheney simply to prevent more executive orders, not to mention pardons.

[rvablue]

4. I don't know all of the technical ins and outs of this but from what

I've read some of them are extremely easy to overturn, while others could take years and years to do so.

I think that some of it has to do with some rules need "public comment" periods, and so before Obama could change them back it would have to go through this process.

Hopefully someone on DU has a better explanantion, but that is what I've gleened of the situation.

[Bobbieo]

7. A great many of these orders pertain to the environment and the Bush directives

are aimed at oil drilling, mining and logging in national forests. Pertaining to Mt Tenabo in Nevada, the Canadian gold company is already stripping the land.

[Johonny]

5. yes and no

I mean he could sign an executive order reversing them. Congress could stand up to him for doing so... but it's not likely. If not then they have to go through the standard review process for policy changes which takes time.

[DJ13]

6. Obama needs to use Bush's favorite weapon, signing statements

If they can be (ab)used to circumvent the Constitution they should be capable of reversing everything Bush does in the final 2 months of his Prezidency.

[bain_sidhe]

8. You need to differentiate between Executive Orders

and new regulations from executive branch agencies. Yes, Obama could overturn E.O.s with a sweep of his pen. But new regulations have to go through a fairly long and arduous process to be overturned, if they've been "finalized" before the new Pres takes office.

Most of the horrors you're seeing reported recently are the latter kind... the ones that take a great deal of time and effort to change.