Retired Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, the Clinton administration's drug czar, has now become a mind-altering substance himself. The PR firm of Fleishman-Hillard has hired him to head its new homeland security practice. "Homeland security" has turned into a gold rush for Washington lobbyists, lawyers and PR firms, with more than 444 lobby registrations declaring an interest in "terror" or "security."

"The State Dept. is looking for a PR firm to promote a monthly Arabic language magazine that it plans to debut in the Spring," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "The magazine will be targeted at Muslims aged 18-to-35 living in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia. The International Information Programs unit, which is the result of the Oct. 1999 merger of the U.S. Information Agency into the State Dept., is handling the magazine launch."

"The Rendon Group, which was hired by the Pentagon to a $100K a-month contract following Sept. 11, has re-launched its website after a seven-month hiatus," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports.