U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., said Tuesday that evidence to support President Bush’s claim Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction might never be found.

Moore, who returned last week from a 2 1/2-day trip to Iraq, said intelligence information about Iraq’s military capabilities might have been overstated.

“I don’t know in this case if the intelligence was wrong,” he said. “I’d like to believe the president didn’t lie to us.”

Congress voted to give Bush the authority to use all means necessary, including the use of the U.S. armed forces, to depose Saddam and to disarm the country of weapons of mass destruction. Moore voted for that use-of-force resolution.

Moore said he remained convinced Saddam previously used chemical weapons on people of his own country, but he now questions whether evidence will be recovered that points to possession of nuclear weapons.

“It’s easy to look back and say, ‘What if? What if we had done this?’ Again, I’m glad Saddam Hussein is gone. Frankly, if we had not gone in there, he’d still be there, and still a threat to his people,” he said.

While in Iraq, Moore was flown by helicopter to the hole where Saddam was captured. He visited with troops from Kansas, spoke with Iraqi citizens and leaders, and tried to get a better understanding of U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and improve security in the country.

“Unfortunately, we may have a longer commitment there than a lot of American people would like,” Moore said.

Morale of U.S. military personnel was good, he said. “Their spirits were really up. It was an uplifting attitude they had.”

U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., right, flanked by an unidentified member of the U.S. military, visits the bunker near Tikrit, Iraq, where Saddam Hussein was captured. Moore visited Iraq last week on a congressional fact-finding mission.

He said work must proceed with creation of an Iraqi security force that can replace U.S. soldiers in populated areas. There needs to be an “Iraqi face” on operations so “it doesn’t look like it’s the American soldiers up against the Muslims,” he said.

Most Iraqi citizens welcomed Saddam’s departure, Moore said.

“On the other hand, there’s sort of a conflict going on because they don’t want Americans to stay there forever. They want to have their own country back. I understand that.”

Moore said the worst thing that could happen would be the premature withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from Iraq. He offered no timeline for pulling out.

Moore said Iraq’s infrastructure was in shambles. Restoring utilities, transportation and public service systems will require time and significant financial investment, he said.

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He said Bush should have secured support of an international coalition prior to invading Iraq. A broad coalition could have shared the military burden and the cost of rebuilding, he said.

Iraq needs someone with a love of democracy to step forward and lead the country into an era where freedom of religion and speech are written into a constitution, Moore said.

“If we can help them make that happen, it’ll be a beacon to other nations in the Middle Eastern area,” Moore said.

He said the U.S. military had its hands full in Afghanistan and Iraq. Talk in Washington of taking action against Syria should remain just that, he said.

“We’re heavily committed in Iraq certainly and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan. We don’t have unlimited resources. We’ve got to be very careful about what we do and how we do it.”