It was just over a year ago that Karen Hughes, then nominee for Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before her swift appointment as the nation's chief public diplomat. Striking all the right chords along the way, Hughes affirmed that "the mission of public diplomacy is to engage, inform, and help others (read 'foreign populations') understand our policies, actions and values.

Karen Hughes is America's Top Gun communicator. But how will her job performance be rated 25 or even 50 years from now by her team in the State Department, elsewhere around the world and in the many politico-history books that will be written about her?

Of course it's too early to tell, as she is just finding her way as the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. But does she have the qualities that helped raise some former directors of the defunct U.S. Information Agency to legendary status?

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On March 14, 2005, Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice announced that President George W. Bush intends to nominate his long time friend and senior advisor, Karen Hughes as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy.  According to Rice, if the Senate confirms Hughes’ appointment, “she will undertake a broad review and restructuring of [American] public diplomacy efforts.”