Peter Ferrara is Director of Entitlement and Budget Policy for the Heartland Institute, General Counsel for the American Civil Rights Union, and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Public Policy.

FORBES: A Budget Cutting Deal That Boosts Federal Spending

Mr. Stern was president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and is now a senior fellow at Columbia University's Richman Center.

WSJ: Andy Stern: China's Superior Economic Model

Rumsfeld had just returned from a three-day, six-country trip to the former Soviet Union, Pakistan and India when he and much of the Pentagon's senior leadership attended the Center's event.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy