The New and Maybe Improved Karen Hughes Show Goes on the Road

Where's Karen? When she started out a year ago as public diplomacy czarina, Karen Hughes hit the road to Muslim countries to meet with women's groups and get a feel for the situation. The audiences weren't all that receptive. Hostile, even. And her trips got awful reviews.

So Hughes hasn't been on the road much lately. Then she popped up just before Labor Day to talk about women's rights at a real world hot spot -- Hawaii. We're told it was a 24-hour visit to speak at an Asia-Pacific conference.

She ended up last year visiting only nine of the world's 53 Islamic countries. Still, folks at Foggy Bottom give her some good marks for reorganizing the State Department's public diplomacy operation to make it more effective. There are now regional offices in London and Dubai with Arabic-speaking U.S. officials to handle public affairs. She lifted the ban on U.S. officials' appearing on the Arabic world's No. 1 television station, al-Jazeera -- she was on live on Thursday and taped an interview with another major broadcaster, al-Arabiya, as well.

And having Adam Ereli , a former department spokesman and an Arabic speaker, in the London office most likely is more effective diplomacy than a speech by Hughes -- especially since she seems to give the same tired stories -- being mistaken for Madeleine Albright , mistaken for Condoleezza Rice , not used to being called "ambassador" -- every single time.

We're told she's hitting the road next month to Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Let's hope with some new material.

The Buck Stops Elsewhere

Media fans are everywhere. Here's the view from the Federal Aviation Administration Web site of what the agency thinks about news coverage of the plane crash in Lexington, Ky. (A story on that very topic is featured on this page.)

Gerald E. Lavey , the FAA's deputy assistant administrator for internal communications, writing in a section labeled the Last Word, writes:

This may literally be my "last word," if I am not careful, but I have been biting my tongue all week and can no longer resist. It has to do with the news "analysis" and reporting of the Lexington, KY, accident. So much of the media is jumping on controller staffing [there was only one on duty] because they're being handed this line and are acting like Pavlov's dog, rather doing the investigation and analysis to see if what they are being fed holds water.

In this very competitive news environment, getting the story fast versus getting the story right is the name of the game. As a result, if you don't mind me mixing my metaphors here, the media acts like a pack of lemmings; one goes over the side, and the rest quickly follow. And we wonder why the politicos manipulate the news media to a fare-thee-well? BECAUSE THEY CAN. We'd better stop here. But, we'll have more to say on controller staffing over the next few days."

Can't wait. Meanwhile, maybe add a second controller, well-rested, to the tower? Might not turn out to be a contributing factor in the crash, but it sure beats shooting the messenger.

Resilient Witness

This just in: Resilient Corp., a new business consulting company, touts its "director of emergency and disaster preparedness" -- none other than the legendary former FEMA director Michael Brown .

"I have witnessed serious miscommunications between government and industry executives that proved to be life-threatening to citizens of this great country," Brown said in a news release last week announcing the new company. "We offer outstanding market-based measures for 'all-hazards' resiliency to natural and man-made disasters while enhancing executive decision-making and regulatory compliance," he added.

Not sure if that last sentence is supposed to mean anything. Some might say Brown has done more than just "witness" disasters.

Lobbying by Boat

It's the ultimate captive audience! The House Conservatives Fund is offering lobbyists a chance to commune with House members one-on-one for three uninterrupted hours. Yes, it's the First Annual House Conservatives Fund Potomac Fishing Tournament tomorrow morning.

"We will gather at the Columbia Island Marina," HCF executive director Mike Bober says in his invite, "and set out at 7 AM for three hours of fishing and good conversation. . . . Each boat is captained by an experienced local guide and seats two participants -- each to include one Member or chief of staff and one guest."

And for just $2,500 per PAC or $1,000 an individual, you can be on board. But hurry! "Needless to say, space is EXTREMELY limited for this event, as we can only send out 15 boats," Bober says. "This is a terrific opportunity for you to spend some real quality time with members of the House Conservatives Fund in a relaxed and fun environment."

Better watch out for those intersex bass they've been finding out there.