Under Secretary Hughes' Swearing-In

Here is the State Department transcript of Karen Hughes' swearing-in ceremony this past Friday:

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/52846.htm

I've read elsewhere that Hughes has read about three dozen reports on public diplomacy in the past month, so it's not surprising that she didn't articulate a grand vision besides a welcome affirmation of

the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property, free speech, equal justice, and religious tolerance.

President Bush, on the other hand, not only introduced and swore Hughes in, he commented at length on other nations that have sent aid to the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

Think of this, Afghanistan has pledged a hundred thousand dollars 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 a hundred million dollars 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.

It's good to see that when the subject is not the Iraq war, the United States still has a pretty large reservoir of goodwill around the world.