[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[September 9, 2005]
[Pages 1407-1410]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Karen P. Hughes as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and 
Public Affairs
September 9, 2005

    The President. Thank you. Madame Secretary, thank you. Thank you for the fine leadership 
you're providing for our country. Laura and I are 
pleased to be back here at the State Department, and we're really 
pleased to be here to honor our new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy 
and Public Affairs, Ambassador Karen Hughes.
    It's good to see many of Karen's friends here today, particularly 
those from Texas. Welcome. I want to say something about her family, her 
husband, Jerry, and Robert and Leigh and Lauren. I want to thank you very much for supporting Karen. It 
is a real blessing for this country that she has decided to come back 
and serve. And I know she would not have done that without your support, 
so thank you all very much.
    We're in a war on terror. We are still at war. And to succeed in 
this war, we must effectively explain our policies and

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fundamental values to people around the world. This is an incredibly 
important mission, and so I've asked one of America's most talented 
communicators to take it on.
    Karen Hughes has been one of my closest and most trusted advisers 
for more than a decade. She understands the miracle of America. She 
understands what we stand for. After all, she's lived it. Her 
grandfather was a Pennsylvania coal miner. She's a working mom who rose 
to serve at the highest levels of our Government. She has a 
compassionate heart, a brilliant mind, and a deep love for America. I 
can think of no one better to share the American experience with the 
world than Karen Hughes.
    I want to thank the Cabinet Secretaries who are here. I appreciate 
you taking time out of your day to come and honor our friend. Don't 
hesitate to get back to work. We've got a lot to do. [Laughter] I 
appreciate General Dick Myers, Chairman of 
the Joint Chiefs, who's with us. I want to thank John 
Negroponte, who is joining us as well. 
And thank you all.
    America is a strong and resilient nation. Our people have the 
spirit, the resources, and the determination to overcome any challenge. 
And today, this Nation faces enormous challenges at home and abroad.
    At this moment, our fellow citizens along the gulf coast are 
struggling to recover from one of the worst natural disasters in our 
country's history. Many thousands have lost their homes. They've lost 
their loved ones. They've lost all their earthly possessions. The 
disaster area is larger than the size of Great Britain. Towns and 
communities have been flattened. One of our great cities has been 
submerged.
    In this time of struggle, the American people need to know we're not 
struggling alone. I want to thank the members of the diplomatic corps 
who are with us today. I want to thank the world community for its 
prayers and for the offers of assistance that have come from all around 
the world. The outpouring of compassion and support has been 
substantial.
    Think of this: Afghanistan has pledged $100,000 to aid--in aid to 
the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Ambassador, thank you. Canada has sent ships with disaster 
supplies. Air Canada--Air Canada's planes assisted in the evacuation. 
Israel sent tents and mineral water and medical supplies. Italy has sent 
beds and sheets and blankets and inflatable rafts to help with rescue 
efforts. Kuwait has pledged $400 million in oil and $100 million in 
humanitarian aid. Qatar and the UAE has pledged $100 million each. Sri 
Lanka, one of the world's most impoverished nations that is struggling 
to overcome the effects of the tsunami, has sent a donation of $25,000.
    In all, more than a hundred countries have stepped forward with 
offers of assistance, and additional pledges of support are coming in 
every day. To every nation in every province and every local community 
across the globe that is standing with the American people and with 
those who hurt on the gulf coast, our entire Nation thanks you for your 
support.
    Four years ago, the American people saw a similar outpouring of 
sympathy and support when another tragedy struck our Nation, the 
terrorist attacks of September the 11th, 2001. This Sunday, Americans 
will mark the fourth anniversary of that terrible day when nearly 3,000 
innocent people were murdered. The attacks took place on American soil, 
yet they left grieving families on virtually every continent. Citizens 
from dozens of nations were killed on September the 11th, innocent men 
and women and children of every race and every religion.
    And in the 4 years since the September the 11th attacks, the 
terrorists have continued to kill in Madrid and Istanbul and Jakarta and 
Casablanca, in Riyadh, in Bali, in Baghdad, in London, in Sharm el-
Sheikh, and elsewhere.
    In the war on terror, the world's civilized nations face a common 
enemy, an enemy that hates us because of the values we hold in common. 
The terrorists have a strategy. They want to force those of us who love

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freedom to retreat, to pull back so they can topple governments in the 
Middle East and turn that region into a safe haven for terrorism.
    To achieve these aims, they kill the innocent, because they believe 
that all human life is expendable. And that stands in stark contrast to 
what we believe. We believe human life is a precious gift from our 
Creator. Every nation that shares this belief shares the belief in human 
rights and human dignity, shares a stake in the outcome of this 
struggle. Every nation that believes that human rights and human dignity 
applies to every man, woman, and child, shares a responsibility in 
ensuring our victory over the terrorists.
    We're on a hunt for the terrorists. We are striking them in foreign 
lands before they can hurt our citizens again. Yet we know that this war 
will not be won by force of arms alone. We must defeat the terrorists on 
the battlefield, and we must also defeat them in the battle of ideas.
    As Prime Minister Blair said after the London 
attacks, we must not fight just the terrorists' methods, but also their 
views; not just their barbaric acts, but also their barbaric ideas. In 
the long run, the only way to achieve lasting peace is to offer a 
hopeful alternative to the terrorist ideology of hatred and fear.
    By spreading the hope of freedom across the broader Middle East, 
Condi and Karen--or should I say, Madam 
Secretary and the Ambassador--understand that spreading the message of 
freedom requires an aggressive effort to share and communicate America's 
fundamental values.
    And so they have an ambitious agenda to carry out. First, I've asked 
them to marshal all the resources of the Federal Government to this 
critical mission. Public diplomacy is the job of every member of my 
administration. As the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public 
Affairs, Karen will direct the State Department's efforts to communicate 
with the world, and at the same time, she will coordinate the work of 
our administration in support of this vital mission, ensuring that every 
agency and department gives public diplomacy the same level of priority 
that I do.
    Second, I've asked the State Department to enlist the support of the 
private sector in our Nation's public diplomacy efforts. The experienced 
diplomats in this room will be the first to tell you, the American 
people are some of our Nation's best ambassadors. We must find ways to 
utilize their talents and skills more effectively. Everyone who travels 
abroad or welcomes an exchange student into their home is an ambassador 
for America. And we need more of our citizens involved in our public 
diplomacy.
    Third, I've asked the State Department to improve our Government's 
capabilities to confront terrorist propaganda quickly, before myths have 
time to take root in the hearts and minds of people across the world. 
Listen, our enemies use lies. They use lies to recruit and train and 
indoctrinate. So Karen and her team have a vital task. They must ensure 
that the terrorist lies are challenged aggressively and that our 
Government is prepared to respond to false accusations and propaganda 
immediately.
    Finally, I've asked the State Department to encourage Americans to 
learn about the languages and cultures of the broader Middle East. In 
the early days of the cold war, our Government undertook an intensive 
effort to encourage young Americans to study Russian language and 
history and culture so we could better understand the aspirations of the 
Russian people and the psychology of those who oppressed them. I've got 
to tell you, it's impressive to be with Condi when you're with the Russian officials, to hear 
her speak the Russian language. She was a part of that initiative. 
Today, the struggle for freedom has shifted to a new region of the 
world, and we need a similar effort to educate our people about the 
broader Middle East.
    We must encourage young scholars to study the great history and 
traditions of the region. We need skilled linguists who

[[Page 1410]]

can communicate with their people so we can engage in a fruitful dialog 
about what it means to live in liberty.
    We've living in dangerous and challenging times, yet this is also a 
moment of great hope and opportunity. Across the world, hearts and minds 
are opening to the message of human liberty as never before. In the last 
2 years alone, tens of millions have voted for the first time in 
Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Georgia. And as 
they claim their freedom, they are inspiring millions more across the 
broader Middle East. We must encourage their aspirations. We must 
nurture freedom's progress.
    Karen will deliver the message of freedom with humility and 
compassion and determination. She knows that freedom is not America's 
gift to the world. She knows that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to 
every man, woman, and child in this world. She will help America seize 
this moment of opportunity by working with other nations and peoples to 
replace tyranny with tolerance and overcome hatred with hope. Together, 
we're going to help millions achieve the non-negotiable demands of human 
dignity, so they can build a better life for their children, and so we 
can lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.
    Karen, good luck in your task. May God bless you.

[At this point, Under Secretary Hughes was sworn into office.]

    The President. Good luck.

Note: The President spoke at 10:17 a.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room at 
the State Department. In his remarks, he referred to Afghanistan's 
Ambassador to the U.S. Said Tayeb Jawad; and Prime Minister Tony Blair 
of the United Kingdom. The transcript released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary also included the remarks of Under Secretary Hughes and 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who introduced the President.