Karen Hughes Confirmed for State Dept. Post

The Senate approved by voice vote yesterday the nomination of Karen Hughes, a former political adviser to President Bush, as the State Department's top public relations official.

Hughes's main assignment as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy is to reverse anti-American sentiment around the world, and in particular in the Middle East.

For years, Hughes has had a major voice in shaping Bush's domestic message. She is a former counselor to the president who left the White House in 2002 to move her family back to Texas. She has continued to advise the president from her home in Austin.

Although not a diplomat by training, Hughes had a hand in several foreign policy initiatives during Bush's first term, including efforts to promote democracy and improve the lives of women and children in Afghanistan.