Unanswered Question of the Day
Q Since [Karen Hughes] assumed the position of Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, according to a Pew survey, the U.S. image remains abysmal in most Muslim countries. Favorable views of the U.S. in Turkey are at 9 percent; in Egypt they’re 21 percent; in Pakistan they’re 15 percent; in the Palestinian Territories they’re 13 percent; in Morocco they’re 15 percent.
MS. PERINO: I think I get your point.
Q But in Germany, in just the past two years, the favorable view of the U.S. has dropped from 42 percent to 30 percent. Do you discount those numbers? I just want you to address what has happened since she has taken on that role. It sounds like she didn’t do —
MS. PERINO: I’m not going to comment on that poll and I think it’s preposterous to think that you could question Karen Hughes’s achievements in terms of being responsible for the numbers in a particular poll. That’s ridiculous….
Q So in your mind, she has succeeded in her goal of outreach to the Arab world, based on those numbers that I just cited?
MS. PERINO: Look, I’m not going to comment or respond to a poll that you just read out… What I can tell you is that she has done amazing work.