Okay, I admit, it's a tough one to sell the good site of America in an interview with a magazine that has an Abu Ghraib picture with the headline "America's Shame: Torture in the Name of Freedom" on it's cover.
Karen took her propanda tour to Germany in an interview with the German weekly "Der Spiegel", the most influential political magazine in Germany. Spiegel headlines the interview with the following sentence: "SPIEGEL spoke with her about anti-American sentiment across the globe, unrest in the Muslim world and the truth." Yep, they tried. Results below the fold.
Here are some gems from the interview. If you wanna read it in it's entirety go here:
http://service.spiegel.de/...
SPIEGEL: Madame Undersecretary, your job may be the toughest in the Bush Administration. Your task is to improve America's image in the world. Do you sometimes feel like Sisyphus?
Hughes: I remember the morning after the president announced that he'd asked me to take on this task. I ran into the vice president and he looked at me and said: "Karen, my condolences, you've taken the toughest job in the government."
...
Hughes: Our government has been wrestling with how to deal with terrorists who don't wear a uniform, who don't represent any state, who therefore don't fit neatly under any international treaty or convention. Nonetheless, we are treating the detainees humanely and consistent with our laws and treaty obligations.
SPIEGEL: You could at least give them a fair trial.
Hughes: We have given fair reviews to these individuals and have released those we believe no longer pose a threat to the US or our allies.
...
SPIEGEL: But Europe is deeply concerned that America has lost the moral high ground in dealing with these problems. After 9/11 almost the entire world stood behind the United States, but now we see an historic level of anti-Americanism. How could you squander this capital so quickly?
Hughes: I've seen some polling before September 11th, where many people around the world were expressing concern about America. We are a superpower, and with that comes some resentment. But we do need to do a better job of reaching out, of listening. That's the reason the president asked me to take this job, as someone who is a close friend of his, who is able to travel and listen and come back and share what I hear with the president and the secretary of state.
SPIEGEL: So what do you hear in the Muslim world? Why is there so much hatred against America?
Hughes: That's not an accurate depiction. I think they have concerns.
...
SPIEGEL: Are you going to Germany next week because the resentment against the Bush Administration is particularly high there?
Hughes: We believe this is a moment of promise for our historic friendship with Germany. You have a new chancellor; she had a wonderful visit in Washington. Americans really appreciated her candor and forthrightness. She, as someone who grew up behind the Iron Curtain, understands the importance of freedom, and we view Germany as an important partner in helping foster democracy that we believe will lead, ultimately to a safer world.
SPIEGEL: But even such a close friend as Angela Merkel is criticizing Guantanamo.
...
And, finally, the best for last:
SPIEGEL: Your government is spending another $75 million to support Iranian opposition groups and radio channels. In the old days of the Cold War that was called propaganda, what do you call it today?
Hughes: It is an effort to communicate with the people of Iran directly because we want to make very clear that we support their aspirations for freedom. We hope that one day the people of Iran will have a government that is worthy of them. What do you mean by propaganda?
SPIEGEL: One government influencing another via broadcasts ...
Hughes: I don't like the word influence and I don't believe that's my job. I view my job as engaging people. This is not Karen Hughes speaking at the world. This is Karen listening and our government listening and exchanging views. Yes, I want to put my country in the best possible light but my job starts with truth and so I don't even like the word spin doctor, because that implies you concoct something. I'm communicating the truth.
SPIEGEL: Do you sometimes think that the Europeans are hypercritical with your friend, the president?
Hughes: I know him so well personally, that I sometimes am stunned by what I see as a caricature of him that has emerged in some press coverage. He's a very warm person, he's a very thoughtful person, he's a very decent person. He cares deeply about people, he's a wonderful leader. I think all of us should take a breath and be a little bit more charitable about how we view each other.
Again, it is worth reading the interview in it's entirety since there are passages on Abu Ghraib, the cartoons, etc that I didn't highlight here.
For those of you who want to get an Old European perspective of things, you might enjoy the articles that "Der Spiegel" has translated into English on its website:
http://service.spiegel.de/...
And, no, I'm not getting paid by "Der Spiegel" to promote their work. A tip is a appreciated ;)