From Holden:

Looks like skippy will have to start calling Karen Hughes AWOL.

A reminder: March 14, 2005:

Our long-term strategy to keep the peace is to help change the conditions that give rise to extremism and terror by spreading the universal principle of human liberty. This will require an aggressive effort to share and communicate America’s fundamental values while respecting the cultures and traditions of other nations.

Karen Hughes has been one of my most trusted and closest advisers, and she has the experience, expertise, and judgment to lead this critical effort. Her return to public service in this important position signifies my personal commitment to the international diplomacy that is needed in these historic times. I value her counsel and friendship, as does Secretary Rice.

And today, April 17, 2005:

Karen Hughes, who was appointed a month ago to craft a bold new approach for U.S. public diplomacy, is not expected to take the job until as late as the fall, according to administration and congressional sources. The delay is already undermining U.S. credibility, with a well-placed U.S. official warning about “the gap between rhetoric and reality.”