Perhaps I was too forgiving in my belief that Karen Hughes wouldn't be so bad as an undersecretary of state for public affairs. I had figured that while her public affairs skills would be spotless, what with her perfect execution of the 2000 Bush campaign's simple message, it would be her lack of international experience that would be her downfall. It now appears that neither one is all that exceptional:
Speaking to reporters for nearly an hour as she flew to Cairo, Hughes appeared to set a relatively low bar for judging her mission's success.
"Many of the differences and many of the concerns are deep-seated, and I'm probably not going to change many minds," she said. "But if I make a connection with a person or two who I can keep following up with after I leave here on my trip, I would consider it a success."
Hughes betrayed some nervousness in her first diplomatic foray, which will also take her to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. This is her first visit to all three countries, and as she spoke to reporters she clutched briefing papers that appeared to be the diplomatic equivalent of Cliffs Notes.
Asked whether she was meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hughes turned uncertainly to an aide and indicated she wasn't quite sure of the answer. The aide whispered back and Hughes replied, "We are respectful of Egypt's laws."
Anyone who doesn't know the American policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood should not be at the top ranks of the Department of State. I don't care if you're an expert in Korean affairs, if you're that senior of an official, you should know basic American policy around the world. The fact that Hughes doesn't know simple things like this is troubling, to say the least. If she's supposed to be the person to clean up the American image around the world, I have very little confidence that anti-Americanism will ever decrease in the next three years.
Karen Hughes is a professional ass kisser.
Posted by: Mike | September 27, 2005 at 08:30 AM