Now that the not so shocking and less than awesome attack on Iraq is over, the real war has just begun: the struggle for control of the destiny of the country. Shiites and Sunnis have already been protesting both the heavy handed rule of Iraq by Saddam Hussein, but also the continued presence of the United States military. These protests are a harbinger of things to come that will need to be dealt with if the United States plans on leaving its military in Iraq for an extended period of time.

Though Iraq is only roughly the size of the State of California, the populace of the country is very diverse, comprised of many ethnic and religious groups, all with their own cultures and takes on how things should proceed in their country. It’s these diverse interests that will burden Iraq’s progress in recovering from the ravages of war and the establishment of new leadership.

(p)Resident Dubya and Donald the Whiner Rumsfeld have sent in former military man Jay Garner to sort the mess out that the United States military has left in its wake. Garner has been tasked with overseeing the restoration of basic services in the country: things like electricity and water service. Apparently those surgical air strikes weren’t as accurate and precise as we have been led to believe they were.

Maybe attacking the infrastructures wasn’t a mistake, though. Perhaps things were bombed on purpose so there would be plenty of contracts huge conglomerates would be able to cash in on. Imagine a company with focused industries that include aerospace, defense, energy, information technology, real estate, telecommunications, media and transportation.

Enter the Carlyle Group ...

There is going to be a lot of green to be made in the rebuilding of Iraq, and the Carlyle Group will have a hand or two in the mix. A trip to the Carlyle Group’s website is an interesting visit, revealing a surprising collection of players. This by invitation only investment firm is run by the likes of:

• Frank C. Carlucci was Secretary of Defense from November 1987 through January 1989, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs under President Reagan, Deputy Secretary of Defense (1980-82), Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (1978-80), Ambassador to Portugal (1975-78), Under Secretary of Health Education and Welfare (1973-75), Deputy Director of OMB (1970-72), and Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969). Mr. Carlucci was a Foreign Service Officer from 1956 to 1980.



• David M. Rubenstein was Deputy Domestic Policy Assistant to the President of the United States, a position he held until 1981.



• James A. Baker, III, served as the nation’s 61st Secretary of State from January 1989 through August 1992 in the Bush Administration and before that from 1985 to 1988 as the 67th Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration. He was also President Reagan’s White House Chief of Staff from 1981 to 1985, and in 1975 was President Ford’s Under Secretary of Commerce and White House Chief of Staff for President G.H.W. Bush from August 1992 to January 1993.



• Arthur Levitt was the 25th Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by President Clinton.



• Jonathan E. Colby, a graduate of both Princeton and the Yale Law School (enter the Skull and Bones connection to the Bush tribe), served in the Nixon Administration as Staff Assistant (Foreign Affairs) on the National Security Council under the direction of Dr. Henry A. Kissinger.

With such a wide array of investment interests, it stands to reason that the Carlyle Group has not only profited from the attack on Iraq, but also stands to gain from the rebuilding process. Blend in the cast of corporate characters and their connections to the political world and it’s a nasty mix in a vicious cycle ...

Though I don’t have the gonadal fortitude to send this e-mail myself, perhaps some readers of Trifocal Rearview Mirror do. However, I do have the balls to offer the text of the e-mail here on the website’s TRM arena.