Script works in Word 2008 but can't assign keyboard shortcut

Question

Since I must have emacs keystrokes on those fortunately rare occasions when I have to use Word 2008, and because there is no explicit "delete character" command in Word (since there's already a built in keystroke for it, presumably) I've written a simple script that activates the delete key:
tell application "System Events"
tell application "Microsoft Word" to activate
key code 117
end tell
I have put this in ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Word Script Menu Items so that it shows up in the script menu in Word. If I select the script from the menu via the mouse, it works just fine and deletes the character to the right of the cursor. However, if I try to assign a Word-specific keyboard shortcut (the usual emacs keystroke Ctrl-d, of course) using the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane to this macro it simply doesn't work. "^D" shows up next to the name of the script in the Word script menu, so the shortcut appears to be registering, and the little script menubar icon even flashes blue when I hit Ctrl-d, but nothing happens; the script just does not seem to run.
Any help appreciated. I really need to have this keystroke to be able to use Word and remain reasonably happy about it.
-TXLogic

Answer 1

Follow up: My Word-specific shortcut seems to work the *first time* I use it after bringing up a document. Thereafter it fails. Thanks.
-TXLogic