It seemed like mission impossible. But after an edge-OF-the-car-seat ride through Delhi’s upmarket Shantipath, a three-hour wait outside the heavily guarded American Embassy filled with will-she-won’t-she suspense, countless phone calls and stringent security checks, Verve managed to get an audience with the charming Karen Hughes. Excerpts from the interview:

What is the most challenging aspect about your job as Under Secretary of State? Could you share your most rewarding moment so far with us?
The biggest challenge is sharing America’s story in a crowded, noisy communications environment. People have so many sources of information these days, from television to blogs to text messages. While that’s good, I worry that the cumulative picture that emerges can be confusing, misleading or just wrong. I’ll never forget a young man in China who had just returned from his first visit to America and was surprised by how friendly and family-oriented Americans are. He said, ‘America is not the way it looks on television.’ I worry that bad news tends to crowd out information about the good things America is doing around the world. Many people don’t realise that America is the number one bilateral donor of food and medicine to the Palestinian people. We are saving millions of lives in Africa through our AIDS and malaria initiatives. And we are funding important educational opportunities for young people across the world.
The most rewarding aspect of my job is the opportunity to meet wonderful, inspiring people around the world. While visiting India, I met many impressive young people and had great meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders. Everyone told me there are two types of people in the world, those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who haven’t and my life has been enriched by becoming one of the former!

How important an influence has President Bush been in shaping your political views and on your life in general? You have even co-authored his memoir, A Charge to Keep.
We like to joke that I have worked for President Bush since his motorcade consisted of only one car – and he was sometimes driving it! I went to work for him before he was elected Governor of Texas and one of the things I most admire is that he is still fundamentally the same principled, caring person as he was when I first started working for him almost 13 years ago. I remember a reporter once asked him about his political philosophy and he said he was a conservative with a heart – from that we shaped the phrase ‘compassionate conservative,’ which I think describes my philosophy too. Many people forget that President Bush has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. I’ve learned a lot about leadership and management by working for him. He sets concrete goals, bases his decisions on clear principles and empowers those who work for him to act on his behalf. President and Mrs Bush are also very thoughtful about including their employees and families in many special occasions. I can trace my son’s growth through pictures of him at special events with President and Mrs. Bush over the years, from picnics at the Governor’s mansion in Texas to movie nights at the White House and weekends at Camp David – and perhaps most exciting of all for my son at the time, a few flights on Air Force One!