CNN

Hughes is a longtime Bush adviser.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Long-time Bush adviser Karen Hughes will leave her post as undersecretary of state at the State Department in mid-December, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced Wednesday.

Hughes served as undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs since her appointment to the post in March 2005, and was charged with running the State Department's campaign to "win the hearts and minds of the Muslim world."

In September of that year, Hughes traveled throughout the Middle East as part of what she dubbed a "listening tour" to repair America's image among Muslims. But it was a tough sell, and many Arabs criticized her for what they called her lack of understanding of the region.

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– CNN's Elise Labott and Charley Keyes contributed to this report