to help map out a post-asad government

"American diplomats are also meeting regularly with representatives of various Syrian opposition groups outside the country to help map out a possible post-Assad government. “Our focus with the opposition is on working with them so that they have a political transition in place to stand up a new Syria,” Patrick Ventrell, a State Department spokesman, said last week."  Wait.  I thought that Steven Heydemann told us the other day that the US is sneakily keeping its role invisible in the process to trick the dumb natives into thinking that the US government is not involved.  Somebody must have slipped, or people are not staying "on message".