So you agree that there are WOMD to be found.

Like everybody else, I'm not in a position to know for an absolute fact.

I have observed the Bush administration's inability to turn up even a single
WMD, in spite of the fact we were assured there were thousands of tons of the
stuff and that we knew where it was.

At the time of the invasion, I was probably 50/50 regarding the existence of
WMD. I am now far, far, far, more skeptical than that. 250,000 troops
searching for thousands of tons of stuff have failed to find an ounce of it,
even though we were assured we know right where to look. At some point, all
reasonable people will begin to conclude the WMD are not there to be found.

Thirty-five years ago, before Nixon proved to us all that presidents can and do
lie publicly and before a number of his successors have elevated the practice
of presidential lying to a new level, I suspect
a few chemical warheads would have turned up under a dusty old tarp in a
warehouse by now. (How they got there would not have been considered important)

The risk of a "phony" find is very high, and people will ask a zillion
questions if and when something turns up. If the find stands up to scrutiny,
Bush will regain some of his tottering credibility. (His tottering credibility
is his own fault, he is the one who asked us all to concentrate on the WMD
issue). If the find is proven to be a fake, Bush is done-done-done. The public
will put aside political differences to turn a proven liar out of office.

My point? Bush's political future depends on any possible find of WMD being
either
absolutely legitimate, or flawlessly staged.
The risk of a fouled phony is so high that we may not see any WMD discovered.

I still say, "If the stuff is there, we need to find it." But more and more, I
believe the stuff is not, and likely never was, there.