U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) is "fostering competition" for a "lucrative contract to analyze foreign media coverage and handle strategic communications for its operations and the so-called global war on terrorism," reports O'Dwyer's. The work involves tracking "media in broadcast, print and online in Arabic, Urdu Pashtu" and other languages, as well as "building databases of key communicators and media outlets, analyzing the perception of U.S. actions and communication, and identifying vulnerabilities." The contract requires the PR firm to provide staff "on a 24/7 schedule during critical periods." The secretive Rendon Group, "the Pentagon's go-to firm for military PR," currently holds the $8.2 million contract, which 56 of its employees work on. STRATCOM hopes to award the new contract this summer.

A little-noticed proposal in the 2,000 page federal budget "would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel called the 'Sunset Commission.'" The commission would "review federal programs every ten years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs that are not 'producing results,' in the eyes of the commission, would 'automatically terminate unless the Congress took action.'" Even the Environmental Protection Agency or Food and Drug Administration could be axed, on a "simple vote of five commissioners" - not a high bar, since many commissioners would likely be "lobbyists and executives from major corporations." The Sunset Commission is the brainchild of Clay Johnson, who's already "helped place industry champions ... throughout the government." It was first mentioned publicly by the ExxonMobil-funded think tank, the Mercatus Center.

Once again, a parody news segment on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" is offering better journalism than much of what you'll find coming from "real" newsrooms. CC's Samantha Bee interviews Republican media strategist Frank Luntz for advice on how to create her own fake town hall meetings, like the ones that President Bush has been using to promote his Social security privatization scheme. "A real town hall can be very dangerous if it gets out of control," Luntz explains. "A town hall where the speaker cannot command the respect and the control of the audience can look very bad on television. ... To me the most important component of a successful town hall is the visual, is the backdrop." And the audience itself is part of the backdrop, Luntz explains as he reviews footage from an actual Bush town hall video: "There he's got an African-American, he's got an Asian, there's your female he's got. It's one of everybody. It's almost like the rainbow wedding line."