Obama's new signature on policies -- tweaked or switched
— -- President Obama has reversed or modified many policies set by the Bush administration and is seeking to change more. Some changes are major, others less so, but they leave little doubt that the White House is now run by members of a different party with a different political outlook. Key differences:
Abortion
Obama:An abortion rights supporter, he lifted a Bush-era rule that prevented federal money from going to international family-planning clinics that discuss abortion with clients.
Bush:An opponent of abortion rights, he set the so-called "gag rule," which blocked overseas clinics that receive federal funding from counseling clients about abortion. Bush believed federal policy should support the "culture of life."
Afghanistan
Obama:So far, he has emphasized the Afghanistan war over the Iraq conflict. He authorized deployment of 21,000 additional U.S. troops to the Afghanistan theatre.
Bush:He emphasized the Iraq war over the one in Afghanistan. Still, he authorized about 12,000 more troops for Afghanistan to be deployed during the last five months of his presidency.
Cuba
Obama:He relaxed rules so Cuban Americans can visit relatives on the island and send them unlimited amounts of money.
Bush:He restricted travel to the island by Cuban Americans to once every three years and limited remittances to $1,200 a year.
Global warming
Obama:On his watch, the Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that greenhouse gases threaten public health by increasing global warming. He has asked Congress to set limits on emissions.
Bush:He opposed legislation curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, calling it excessive regulation that would hurt U.S. industry, especially against Chinese and Indian competitors.
Guantanamo Bay
Obama:In one of his first acts, he ordered the prison for terror suspects to be closed by January 2010.
Bush:He opposed setting a timeline for closing the facility and noted that his administration had trouble finding countries willing to take prisoners.
Health care
Obama:He asked Congress to devise a new system that provides "affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system and uses existing providers, doctors, and plans."
Bush:He opposed "government-run" health care and urged changes in the tax system to make it easier for people to purchase individual, private insurance plans.
Iraq
Obama:He pledged to remove all U.S. combat troops by Aug. 31, 2010. About 35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain to train Iraqi solders and for counterterrorism operations
Bush:He opposed specific deadlines for withdrawing U.S. troops, but signed an agreement with the Iraqi government requiring U.S. forces to leave the country by the end of 2011.
Iran
Obama:He taped a video message to Iran's people for Persian New Year and discussed the possibility of direct negotiations with the Iranian government over its nuclear program.
Bush:He opposed direct negotiations until Iran stopped its uranium enrichment program.
Stem cell research
Obama:He signed an order expanding federally funded research using embryonic stem cells, saying it could lead to cures for diabetes, Parkinson's and other diseases.
Bush:He restricted research to only existing stem cell lines. He was opposed to creating stem cells from human embryos for scientific research.
Taxes
Obama:He plans to let Bush-era tax cuts end in 2011 for individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000 annually.
Bush:He signed 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that lowered the top two tax rates to 33% and 35%. The cuts also virtually eliminated the so-called marriage penalty and reduced estate and capital gains taxes.
Treatment of terror suspects
Obama:He banned interrogation techniques that he considers torture, such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning.
Bush:His administration's lawyers wrote the justification for enhanced interrogation techniques. He has said these methods helped prevent terrorist attacks.