Standing on Ceremony

Most Cabinet undersecretaries don't get much in the way of hoopla when they're sworn in to office. But most of them aren't Karen Hughes, a trusted adviser to President Bush and the new undersecretary of State for public diplomacy. Here's a partial list of the luminaries who were able to take time out from the ongoing response to Hurricane Katrina and other pressing national priorities to attend her swearing-in ceremony Friday: President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Interior Secretary Gale Norton, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte and Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and honor our friend," Bush told the assembled dignitaries. "Don't hesitate to get back to work."