Former Government Flacks Find Corporate PR Path

Prime Minister Tony Blair's top spokesman Alastair Campbell's may be the next in a long line of government spinners to take a high-powered spot in corporate public relations. Rumors of Campbell's leaving No. 10 Downing Street, have him "being stalked by international agencies, keen to utilise his government and media contacts," the Financial Times reports. Campbell's potential career path is already well trod. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer will hang out his shingle as an advisor to top corporate executives. Clinton administration press secretary Mike McCurry now runs Grassroots Enterprise which offers "online technology and communications strategy to help clients achieve their public affairs objectives." "James Rubin, the former State Department spokesman, has become a partner at Brunswick, the UK's leading financial public relations company," the Times writes. "But such high-profile executives must be carefully managed to avoid becoming a liability rather than an asset. One colleague says: 'As a partner, Jamie's got to be able to bring in new business and sustain that business. But it's sensitive. You couldn't take him around the Middle East and expect to pick up Arab clients.'"