It was not the face of George W. Bush, whose tanks rolled into Baghdad on Wednesday, but of his father who commanded the 1991 military coalition that drove Iraqi occupation troops out of neighboring Kuwait.

At the doorway, the mosaic still showed the neck and shoulders of Bush senior but the small pieces that once formed his face had disappeared, leaving an oval trace of dust.

The image, meant as an insult for Bush senior, was installed by an Iraqi artist after the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

Rumors had it that Saddam, who has not shown any sign of life since Monday's targeted air strike in central Baghdad to assassinate him, had personally chosen the location of the mosaic.

A visit to the hotel, a Baghdad landmark, was a must for all foreign dignitaries including United Nations inspectors searching for Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction. All were forced to step on the former president.

The lobby of the hotel was ransacked by looters Friday who also stole furniture and television sets from the first few floors, according to a US officer.

Computers in the internet section of the bar area, which had been banned from serving alcohol by Saddam orders in the early 1990s, also vanished.

US troops posted an armoured carrier mounted with a machine gun at the hotel's gate.

An American officer said his unit arrived at the hotel at around 5:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Friday and ordered out looters and a few employees who had returned to take personal belongings.

He said a US platoon had "cleaned" the hotel to pave the way for their arrival, and ground Bush senior's face to powder.

"We know that the Iraqis put it for people to step on his face as an insult, but it is not really an issue, it is rather silly," said a bemused officer.

"Having Saddam gone is music to our ears," he added, standing next to the old, brown grand piano which once entertained guests in the lobby but which was abandoned on Friday by the looters in the garden.

Apart from the Rashid, the Mansur Hotel that once provided journalist guests picturesque views of the bridges on the Tigris river, was also looted Friday and smoke was still billowing from its upper floors in the evening.

SPACE.WIRE