Pooping on the next president

With Obama and McCain battling it out, everyone has been ignoring Bush. Which means few people are paying much attention to how busy he's been. See, he has only 77 days left to pillage and plunder -- and he plans to make the most of it.

The New York Times puts it this way:

President Bush’s aides have been scrambling to change rules and regulations on the environment, civil liberties and abortion rights, among others — few for the good. Most presidents put on a last-minute policy stamp, but in Mr. Bush’s case it is more like a wrecking ball. We fear it could take months, or years, for the next president to identify and then undo all of the damage.

Here's a taste of how he plans to poop on us and the next president:

Civil Liberties: New guidelines on intrusive techniques for spying on neighbors even if there is no evidence of wrongdoing. And then they intend to edit the report on how these actions affect privacy, violating the laws that created the Department of Homeland Security.

Environment: Weaken regulations that implement the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, such as what pollution controls need to be installed when a power plant is upgraded.

Abortion: Expand the rules on the right of health workers to refuse to help a woman get an abortion. This expands from doctors and nurses to referral and counseling services.

Banking: Restore tax breaks for banks that acquired bad loans through acquisition, which gives banks an incentive to use the bailout money to buy other banks, not to deal with the credit crisis (this one has already happened).

Security: Perhaps Gitmo won't be closed after all.