WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has kicked off her new position as chief diplomat by introducing herself to State Department diplomats and employees.

Clinton's appointment was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate on Wednesday.

She arrived for work under sunny morning skies at the main entrance to State Department headquarters and entered Thursday morning to a burst of applause and cheers from hundreds of department employees.

She told career diplomats and political appointees that "not everybody's ideas will make it into policy."

And Clinton also said, "This is not going to be easy. ... But if it weren't hard, somebody else could do it."