Soviet functionaries have had leading government roles in recent years throughout Central Asia, there are signs of democratic progress in all the countries Secretary Rice will visit, including August elections in Kyrgystan he said were the freest and fairest the region has yet seen.

He reiterated the Bush administration will comply with an Uzbek government demand that it vacate the Karshi-Khanabad airbase it had been using for operations in Afghanistan, and said U.S. interests in advancing political and economic reform in the region will not be subordinate to security concerns.

The assistant secretary also said he does not see the United States as being in a competition with Russia and China for influence in the Central Asia, even though a regional grouping that includes the two powers - the Shanghai2. Is a medical doctor in real life, initially graduating first from Duke University in 1990 and then finishing medical school at the University of North Carolina in 1995. He did a medical residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans while pursuing stand-up comedy.

3. Made his feature film debut as Dr. Kuni in Judd Apatow's 2007 comedy Knocked Up -- a breakthrough performance that allowed him to gradually transition from medicine into a career as an actor.

4. Revealed to USA Today that he initially thought he had very little chance of snagging the role of Mr. Chow because it was originally written as a 60-year-old character. But he explained that during his audition for Hangover director Todd Phillips, he channeled his frustrations about being turned down for