"But it's certainly something that is worth clarifying," Dr. Rice added.

The top U.S. security official was responding to a report in Monday's Washington Times citing new intelligence suggesting that Saddam made arrangements to facilitate the evacuation to Syria of his WMD stockpile.

"Saddam Hussein periodically removed guards on the Syrian border and replaced them with his own intelligence agents who supervised the movement of banned materials between the two countries," the Times said, citing an upcoming report by the U.S.'s Iraq Survey Group.

Rice said that Saddam posed a weapons of mass destruction threat to the world whether or not he actually had WMD stockpiles in 2003.

"He had used weapons of mass destruction. He knew how to build them. He was maintaining the infrastructure," she said. "At best, he was waiting until the sanctions were off so he could fully resume his programs."

Rice also confirmed that Saddam had acquired the technology to enrich uranium sometime before the U.S. attacked in 2003, and had amassed a 1.8-ton stockpile of low-enriched uranium before he was deposed.

"A lot of that enriched uranium comes from that period [before the first Gulf War]," Rice said. "But also, what we know is that he had a lot of very sophisticated designs for nuclear weapons. He had the scientific knowledge."

While Rice is often touted as a possible 2008 presidential rival to New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, she told Hannity she can't see herself ever running for public office.

"I cannot imagine that. I have great respect for people who run for office [but] I don't really see myself in that role. I love the kind of thing that I'm doing."

As for any ambitions beyond national security adviser, Rice told Hannity, "When [NFL Commissioner] Paul Tagliabue steps down, I want that job."

Editor's note: