Update: Frozen Embryos & Stem Cells

As expected, Mr. Obama has signed an executive order allowing federal funding -- that's your money and mine -- of embryonic stem cell research, but at the same time declaring that human cloning is "dangerous and wrong" and has no place in society.

Some critics say the research can lead to human cloning. Obama said the government will develop strict guidelines for the research because misuse or abuse is unacceptable.

He said he would ensure that the government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction.

Would it not have been prudent to develop the regulations against cloning and then issue your executive order? Doesn't this imply that there is a window of opportunity for cloning right now?

And will Mr. Obama's assurances that cloning will be banned be just another on his list of promises that come with an expiration date?

UPDATE -- That didn't take long. It was pointed out to me that I did not pay close enough attention to Mr. Obama's words. He said the government would close the door to cloning for human reproduction, not research! So in reality research can go full speed ahead and, if in the course of research, humans are reproduced through cloning, well, that's progress. If this sounds Clintonian ...