Obama reversed the brain-dead science-phobic Bush policy against federal funding of embryonic stem cell research today. Okay, I was a little happy about that. But what struck me was a statement he made when signing the executive order.

“Promoting science isn’t just about providing resources, it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.”

Eight years ago, a politician making a statement like that would have just washed over my ears as yet another eloquent statement of the obvious intended to pander to the audience. Blah, blah, blah… yada, yada, yada. But upon hearing Obama, my thought was that this was brilliant. Reflecting a bit more now, I think I’m just relieved to have an educated adult in the White House.

Not to take anything away from Obama, but it strikes me that his popularity has to be significantly bolterered by how low G.W. had pushed the bar prior to his departure.