Rumsfeld's Stanford Appointment Angers Campus

Friday, September 21, 2007

By Mark Matthews

STANFORD, Calif., Sep. 21, 2007 (KGO) -- Several weeks ago, we told you about former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's appointment as a visiting distinguished fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

Now, a group of professors and students are trying to stop it from happening.

Donald Rumsfeld has sat on the Hoover Board of Overseers and has served on the executive committee of the board.

His association with the Hoover Institution goes back almost 20 years.

This year, he accepted an offer to be a Distinguished Visiting Fellow.

2500 students, professors and Stanford alumni have signed a petition objecting to the appointment.

Donald Rumsfeld is a hot button for a lot of people, for a number of reasons.

"For getting us into an immoral war in Iraq and being one of the centers, one of the instigators of the use of torture tactics in Guantanamo Bay that migrated to Abu Ghraib," said Professor Phillip Zimbardo, Ph.D., Stanford professor emeritus.

Professor Phillip Zimbardo leading the petition drive objecting to Rumsfeld's title as Distinguished Visiting Fellow.

Zimbardo is famous for conducting his 1971 Stanford prison experiment.

24 students assigned to play roles in a mock prison.

The guards quickly became sadistic, while the prisoners became passive and depressed.

The Stanford psychology professor emeritus says Rumsfeld set similar conditions for the abuse that happened at Abu Ghraib.

"It was the Stanford prison experiment in spades - you know, fear, stress, chaos," said Zimbardo.

Zimbardo says Rumsfeld green-lighted the use of dogs, stress positions, nakedness and other interrogation tactics that led to the abuse.

He says that alone should disqualify him for the post of distinguished fellow.

"Invite him to come. Invite him to give a talk, but don't use the Stanford umbrella to honor somebody who has done things that are dishonorable," said Zimbardo.

Martin Anderson, an economic advisor to Presidents Nixon and Reagan, defended the man he has known for 40 years.

Anderson served on the Defense Policy Board with Rumsfeld, and is now a Senior Fellow with the Hoover Institution

"For six years, he was the Secretary of Defense. He was there when 9/11 happened. He was there when we invaded Afghanistan. He was there when we invaded Baghdad," said Anderson.

Anderson says anyone who wants answers to what happened would want Rumsfeld on campus. Furthermore, he says anyone who believes Rumsfeld is not distinguished doesn't understand the meaning of the word.

"You can say you don't like him you can say you don't like what he did or didn't do. Whatever. That's political stuff. But don't say he's not distinguished," said Anderson.

On campus students are just arriving for the fall semester. Some are glad that Rumsfeld will be here no matter what his title.

"We're going to get to hear what he thought, why he did what he did, and it's going to be a really great experience. I'm actually looking forward to it," said Autumn Williams, Stanford freshman.

Gabriela Gonzales is a graduate from Harvard's School of Government, starting her Master's in Business at Stanford, and opposed to Rumsfeld's honorary title.

"I don't think he's earned it. So, I haven't seen the petition that's been circulating, but I would sign it, if it came by me," said Gonzales.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter how many people sign the petition. The Hoover Institution isn't going to rescind the offer.

Rumsfeld has yet to respond to our request for an interview.

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