State Department Fills PR Czar Position

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After much speculation, Ambassador to Morocco Margaret Tutwiler is finally returning to Washington to take Charlotte Beers' old post as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. Ad queen Beers stepped down among much criticisms in March. The Washington Post's Al Kamen writes that Tutwiler, who served as assistant secretary of state for public affairs for the elder Bush, "was most happy with her Morocco assignment -- apparently even with an occasional terrorist bomb going off -- and was said to be ambivalent about coming back. But duty calls, and Tutwiler, who did a stretch in Baghdad, working to put together a media operation there, should be in town by the end of the month." Kamen also writes that the search for Torie Clarke's replacment as Pentagon public affairs chief goes on. Strong candiates are There are strong candidates, including, Diane Leneghan Tomb, now assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Tomb is a veteran in the trade, having worked for then-Vice President George Bush in the White House press office and later at Burson-Marsteller," Kamen reports. Also talked about is Kevin Kellems, "a former reporter and longtime aide to Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) who is now special adviser to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, is a strong contender," Kamen writes.