PR industry analyst Paul Holmes notes that the corporate scandals of last year created a "chronic crisis, as constituents - shareholders, employees, regulators, the public at large - began to question whether the entire American corporate system was hopelessly corrupt." (As an indicator of how bad things got, Holmes was forced to combine Enron, Worldcom and Tyco into a single item in his "top 10" list of the year's worst PR disasters.) "Ordinarily," Holmes writes, "such an epidemic of ill-considered corporate behavior would have elevated the role of the senior corporate communications executive to a permanent place in the CEO's inner circle, and provided a bonanza of new business for public relations firms. But in 2002, those gains conspicuously failed to materialize." Maybe that's because the scandals run so deep that PR can't fix them. "There was no way to spin the kind of outrageous personal and institutional behavior that gave rise to these crises," Holmes writes.

The PR industry needs to mull "a shift in strategy if US goes to war," writes Sherri Deatherage Green. During the first few days of fighting, she says, PR pros should hold off on product promotions. "Few activities could be more futile than pitching stories when war reports fill every second of network time," she writes. "But if military action continues over time, companies should find tasteful and appropriate ways to revive their marketing." Also, "Understatement might be the best messaging approach during wartime. Even companies producing items for the military shouldn't brag about fatter profits."

PR Week continues the industry's preoccupation with managing activism with a variety of articles examining the strategies activists use to advance their causes, "the proactive approach to averting protests," and an article on corporate social responsibility titled "CSR: Beyond Lip Service."

The industry trade publication PR Week has a few kind words to say about Nick Naylor, the fictional PR man who figures as the protagonist in Christopher Buckley's hilarious book, Thank You for Smoking. "He can stun a Clean Lungs conference into silence with a few words about the First Amendment rights of the poor, embattled tobacco companies. He can win over an Oprah audience by turning the tables on those evil health professionals who only care about their (gasp!) budgets." PR Week gushes that PR pros "will recognize and laugh at themselves in this brilliant, morally complex portrayal of a good guy in a rough business. As one of the more savage political strategists once told PR Week, 'This is the most accurate portrayal I've ever seen of what I do all day.'"

When voters elect a Representative they also are frequently launching the education and career of a future corporate lobbyist. Don't pity the retired or (rarely) defeated incumbent because their truly lucrative political career just begins when they join the ranks of millionaire lobbyists. "Dick Armey, the departing House majority leader, summarized the situation in his usual succinct style when he was asked on Friday how much money he would be making in his new job starting this week at Piper Rudnick, a law firm with a large lobbying operation. 'I don't anticipate going hungry,' Mr. Armey replied. ... 'You go from the grovelee to the groveler, [former Representative Robert L. Livingston] said. "It takes a psychological adjustment, but there are compensations.' ... Why do companies like ChevronTexaco , Oracle and Northrop Grumman pay Mr. Livingston fees that are typically $10,000 to $30,000 a month? ... 'When he calls up, people don't say, `Bob who?' ' said Ken Johnson, the spokesman for the energy committee, of Mr. Livingston. 'He's known and respected by a lot of people. He opens a lot of doors.' "