Former Clinton Press Secretary Joins Kerry-Edwards Campaign

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Former White House press secretary Mike McCurry joins the Kerry-Edwards campaign as a senior media advisor this week. The Associated Press writes that "the hiring is an acknowledgment that Kerry and his team have failed to communicate a concise, persuasive argument." McCurry served as press secretary from 1995 to 1998, helping former President Bill Clinton through the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Currently he is chairman of Grassroots Enterprises, which specializes in online PR, and a principal at Public Strategies Washington, a lobbying firm that counts as clients Bristol-Myers Squibb, Edison Electric, Lockheed Martin, and the United States Chamber of Commerce. (Ironically, PR Week reports, "The US Chamber of Commerce is helping to launch a 527 group assailing vice presidential candidate John Edwards for his former career as a trial lawyer. The effort will be led by Burson-Marsteller COO Ken Rietz.") Also joining the Kerry campaign are two other Clinton alumni - former press secretary Joe Lockhart, a partner at the Glover Park Group, and former legislative strategist Joel Johnson, who's co-founder and managing director of The Harbour Group, a PR and crisis communications firm, PR Week reports.