"On the issue of Iraq and where the WMD is, and where Saddam is and where (al-Qaeda terrorist network leader) Osama bin Laden is ... the answer is, I don't know," said Republican Representative Porter Goss of California.

"The critical question is, do we have the capacity to find out and are we doing it, and the answer is, yes."

"There is no question that lethal weapons in the hands of mischief makers have been proven to be a problem," he said.

Goss said it was unrealistic to assume that Iraqis weapons of mass destruction would be located quickly or easily.

"We are talking about materials that you can put in a van or a couple of swimming pools in a country the size of California," said Goss, who counseled patience, saying that Iraqi non-conventional weapons would be found in time.

"We haven't finished the job," he said. "It's just that easy," he said.

"Be patient and understand that we have people working very hard on this," Goss said.

WAR.WIRE