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WASHINGTON, D. C. (4/14) - Iraqi policemen and US marines patrol Baghdad as attempts to restore order after days of chaos and looting are underway. In the wake a war which may have destroyed more than the Saddam regime and the symbols of its power, thousands of years of history may have been erased forever. During  the days of chaos, much of the Iraqi and world heritage, including the Museum of Baghdad which contained 170,000 historic items and the National Library Baghdad which was a pride of many Iraqis, was destroyed. Now Iraqi must start a new history under the supervision of the US which has resisted multi-national influence on the key elements of a new Iraq - oil, finance, and intelligence. Against this background, the US has organized a by invitation only conference to discuss the future of Iraqi with various leaders and groups which includes Iraqis and Iraqi exiles. This, may be more for show than substance as it appears much of who will rule has already been determined by the Bush administration.

The US started intense preparation for a post-war Iraq some time ago. Even before the Iraq war started several hundred American Government officials - from well-worn former generals to fresh young aid workers - were in Kuwait working at their laptops, inventing flow charts and examining maps of Iraq in what has become known as the Washington on the Persian Gulf.

This group is the nucleus of the Bush Administration's new Iraqi government. According to reports from Kuwait UnderSecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who dispatched protégés to Kuwait  to prepare key Baghdad ministries for American management. It is also reported that Mr. Wolfowitz has been passing judgment on others assigned to the US government-in-waiting. The tone of the soon to be Iraqi is as divisive and political as Washington, some participants say.

Retired Army Lieutenant-General Jay Garner is the man in charge of this new Iraqi government under an operation called "Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance."  When the take over occurs Garner is supposed to be in charge of fixing the Iraqi infrastructure and creating what the Bush Administration has said will be a democratic government. Below General Garner is a group of former army officers, former and present American ambassadors, aid bureaucrats, State Department officials, several British officials and a cluster known as the "true believers".

According to Jane Perlez in one of her reports from Kuwait City, "These are the people, like Robert Reilly, a former head of the Voice of America, who are known as "Wolfie's" people, a group thought to be particularly fervent about remaking Iraq as a beacon of democracy and a country with a tilt toward Israel."

Some people say former CIA director, James Woolsey, is a Pentagon favorite for The Ministry of Information. Recently Mr. Woolsey made a prediction of another world war.

Today about 80 persons tool part in the conference concerning the new Iraq government. General Garner hosted the event. There were protests outside the conference against Garner being placed in charge of the interim government. Certain Shiite Muslim leader refused to attend as their form of protest. Another conference is set in 10 days.

While their is much talk about Iraq as a "free" society, it does not seem the US has started on the right foot with its policy of US appointments for the so called interim government. Afghanistan has shown that "interim" is a term that means for a substantial time. It is going on two year since Karzai was anointed in Afghanistan and it does not appear that any free elections have even been set yet. "Interim" has a fairly long-term meaning.

Rumsfeld has set forth what kind of Government "ought" to be in Iraq and has stated the the US would "prefer" those that do not agree with the US standards not participate. In other words, the "free" government must meet standards set by the US.

How long before there is any serious Iraqi backlash is an open question. We should not under estimate the delayed reaction to military conquest of Mideast countries. Lebanon was conquered by Israel's military might fairly easily. However, Israel was eventually forced out when the people of Lebanon fought back with suicide bombers and terrorist tactics.