I don't know what else would be a good idea for Unix to follow, either. All he wants to do is talk to borks about commodity contracts and do the corporate thing of looking for big company corporate work. That's not a bad thing, but you're going to be treated like one of 10,000 exact clones if you do that.
Unix, here's something to try, if you haven't already:
I seem to recall you're in the DC area. Most major metro areas have some users groups, and they can be a good way to find work.
Join user groups from your specialty and related specialties, attend their meetings, and develop relationships with the people who attend. If you talk to people in your field, and come off as reasonable, enthusiastic, and very competent, you leave a positive impression that may get you an opportunity when a job opening comes up. Make it clear when talking to people that you're open to new opportunities. Do not be negative about past experiences; at least, make sure that your image is mainly positive (because no one wants to work with a cranky guy; that is not how you want to be remembered).
My personal experience is that, while I never got a job this way, I did find that there are regular job announcements at these meetings. Some from recruiters, but some from actual hiring managers. I also have the feeling that by talking to people in my field, and handing out my business card, I'm opening up myself to opportunities that I'd never see otherwise.
I'm totally terrible at networking, but this is the kind of thing that even I can do, so I think you should make an extended effort in this direction (i.e. attend meetings for a year, be sure to make contacts, and see what happens).
