While Saddam Hussein is a target to be toppled, the other goal of the U.S.-led military campaign is to embark on a scary scavenger hunt: finding the elusive weapons that convinced the Bush administration to wage war in the first place.

The aim is to get to the toxic arsenals before they can be deployed or moved, and perhaps show the world evidence of a tangible threat that justified war.

As outlined by Vice President Cheney:

• Defeat whatever forces oppose U.S. and allied troops.
  
• Dismantle the government of Saddam Hussein.
  
• Eliminate all of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
  
• Preserve the territorial integrity of nations in the region.
  
• Establish a broadly representative government of the Iraqi people.