    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 36 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
    [Pages 1366-1369]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    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.

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    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 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

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    common. The terrorists have a strategy. They want to force those of us
    who love 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 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

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    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 Ambassador Said
    Tayeb Jawad of Afghanistan; 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.