Nation & World News
White House rejects calls
for Rumsfeld's resignation
The secretary of defense
draws criticism for secrecy
surrounding allegations
of abuse in Iraqi prisons
By David Jackson
and Richard Whittle
The Dallas Morning News (KRT)
WASHINGTON — The Bush ad
ministration's secretive ways have
landed a key player in political peril.
Defense Secretary Donald Rums
feld is in hot water, not because U.S.
troops abused Iraqi prisoners, but
because Congress learned about it
the same way the rest of the world
did — from news reports.
"The Congress should have been
notified of this situation a long time
ago," said Sen. John McCain, R
Ariz., echoing past congressional
complaints about the administra
tion's penchant for secrecy.
Rumsfeld is sure to be peppered
with criticism Friday when he goes
before the Senate and House Armed
Services Committees, where law
makers are eager to hear about De
fense Department investigations ini
tiated earlier this year into prisoner
abuse complaints.
As a rising chorus of Democrats
called Thursday for the defense
chiefs resignation or dismissal and
one suggested impeaching him,
President Bush stood by his defense
secretary — a day after the president
himself complained to Rumsfeld
about seeing the gruesome pictures
of prisoner abuse for the first time in
the news.
"I should have known about the
pictures and the (Pentagon) report,"
Bush said.
As the defense secretary spent
Thursday prepping for what could
be the fieriest hearing of his long ca
reer, aides said they try to keep Con
gress in the loop.
"We make a very concerted and
CAMPUS
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Friday
• University Libraries Journal Sale, Browsing
Room, Knight Library, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Each item is
priced at 25 cents.
• Mother's Day Loving Kindness Meditation, EMU
Rogue Room, noon-1 p.m.
• Humanities Work-in-Progress Talk by Evlyn
Gould, Romance Languages, entitled “Turning
Around the Dreyfus Affair: Maurice Barres and the
Problem with Cultural Identity,” Room 159, Prince
Lucien Campbell Hall, noon-1 p.m.
• PERS Update, EMU Fir Room, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. All
employees are welcome.
• “A Natural History of Destruction," discussion by
Bianca Theisen from Johns Hopkins University,
EMU Owyhee Room, 3:30 p.m.
• Philosophy Lecture by Christopher Preston from
the University of South Carolina, EMU Rogue
Room, 4-6 p.m.
• Belluschi Lecture by architect and educator Jo
Noero entitled “The Certainty of Context,” Room
177, Lawrence Hall, 5:30 p.m.
• Oregon Ballroom Dance, Room 220, Gerlinger
Hall, 7:30-11:30 p.m.
Saturday
• Natural History Identification Day, Glenn Starlin
Courtyard, Museum of Natural History, 1-4 p.m.
Bring an item you wish to learn more about.
• Museum of Art Open House, Museum of Art,
1-4 p.m.
• Philosophy Alumni Colloquium entitled “Activism
and Theory: Making an Impact on Today's Environ
mental Policy,” EMU Walnut Room, 2-8 p.m.
• Journalist Amy Goodman "The Exception to the
Rulers" Speaking Tour, Room 150, Columbia Hall,
7 p.m.
Sunday
• The Gang of Four Multi-Piano Jazz Recital, Beall
Concert Hall, 4 p.m.
aggressive effort to keep members of
Congress informed," said Pentagon
spokesman Bryan Whitman.
But in Congress, lawmakers from
both parties said they resented being
caught by surprise about military in
vestigations that began in January.
"Congress is always
going to be complaining
about inadequate
consultation and lack
of information... 1
suspect if you went back
to the (George) Wash
ington administration
it would be the same."
Senior defense official
House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi, a California Democrat who is
among those calling for the defense
secretary's ouster, said it is unaccept
able that members of Congress
learned about the prison abuse by
watching CBS's "60 Minutes II."
Earlier this week, Rumsfeld said
the allegations that warranted a
criminal investigation of the guards
at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad
first surfaced in January and have
been under examination since then.
"I recognize the appetite of people
for instant information and instant
conclusions," Rumsfeld told re
porters. "These things are complicat
ed. They take some time."
Rumsfeld's own relationship with
Congress is complicated, and while
some of his aides dismiss the resignation
demands as partisan rhetoric, lawmak
ers in both parties bridle at what they
view as his insufficient consultation.
Members of Congress, mostly
Democrats, have accused the Pentagon
of trying to hide the costs of the Iraq war.
Amid reports that the administra
tion plans to seek another $25 bil
lion, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said
Thursday that the administration is
dribbling out requests for supple
mental appropriations "to conceal
the full costs of meeting the chal
lenge in Iraq until after the election."
One Pentagon official, speaking
on condition of anonymity, said the
administration believes it is better to
submit a more accurate request for
funds later, after the true costs of the
conflict are known, rather than esti
mating in advance.
Pentagon officials said many of
the congressional tensions are with
the Bush administration itself, not
the Pentagon. They also called them
part of the Washington game.
"Congress is always going to be
complaining about inadequate con
sultation and lack of information,"
said the senior defense official. "I
suspect if you went back to the
(George) Washington administra
tion it would be the same."
As Rumsfeld prepared for his high
stakes appearances Friday, he took time
for a previously scheduled breakfast
Thursday with four Senate Republi
cans, including John Comyn ofTexas.
Cornyn dismissed the Democrats'
calls for resignation as "premature."
The former Texas attorney general
noted that the federal investigations
into the prisoner abuse cases include
grand jury proceedings that are se
cret by law. And Cornyn said his talk
with Rumsfeld had reassured him
that "this thing was responded to in
a serious and appropriate way."
But the way the story came to light
is a problem, Cornyn added: "The
last thing any member of Congress,
or the president, wants is to be sur
prised by something like this."
(c) 2004, The Dallas Morning News.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
RESIGNS
continued from page 1
move will be a blow to the universi
ty system because of his efforts to
help it operate more effectively.
"Over the last six months, his en
ergy and leadership have brought
higher education to the forefront of
public attention," he said. "He has
articulated the critical importance of
a first-rate system of higher educa
tion to our state's future."
Frohnmayer added that he hopes
Goldschmidt will remain involved
with higher education.
"We hope his voice will continue
to be heard even without his official
role," Frohnmayer said.
ASUO spokeswoman Taraneh
Foster said it was too soon for ASUO
officials to comment on Gold
schmidt's resignation.
Goldschmidt is a Eugene native
and former vice president of Nike
and president of Nike Canada. He
also served as the U.S. Secretary of
Transportation for President Jimmy
Carter from 1979 to 1981.
ASUO President-elect Adam
Petkun said Goldschmidt's resigna
tion will be a loss because the board
had been moving forward with re
vamping the higher education sys
tem under his tutelage.
"It is sad to be losing him right
now," Petkun said. "His leadership
will be missed."
Oregon Student Association
Executive Director John Wykoff said
Goldschmidt's role as president af
fected higher education.
"I can say that they're tough
shoes to fill," Wykoff said. "He
brought a lot of energy to the cause
of higher education that will be
hard to replace."
"Over the last six
months, his energy and
leadership have brought
higher education to
the forefront of public
attention... He has
articulated the critical
importance of a first-rate
system of higher
education to our
state's future."
Dave Frohnmayer
University of Oregon
President
Wykoff added that Goldschmidt
kept an open mind about differ
ences between the opinions of Uni
versity officials and students, a vital
ability.
"Goldschmidt was able to come
to it with an open mind," Wykoff
said.
Contact the city/state politics reporter
at parkerhowell@dailyemerald.com.
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