Denver: US President George W Bush called on the United Nations to act now to disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and gave the world body a blunt, Texas-style warning, "confront Baghdad or stand aside".

"This is a person who has made the United Nations look foolish," Bush told a cheering crowd in Alamogordo, New Mexico on October 28, saying that he had laid out the global organisation's options "as clearly as I could, in Western language".

"The message from America is this-'If the United Nations does not have the will or the courage to disarm Saddam Hussein, and if Saddam Hussein will not disarm. The United States will lead a coalition and disarm Saddam Hussein," the former Texas governor declared at a rally.

Roadside signs in bold black and red letters proclaimed Alamogordo residents' support for the President: "A message for the President. George: Kick their Ass."

As Bush embarked on a two-state swing to help fellow Republicans ahead of the November 5 elections, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that the UN Security Council "has debated this now long enough".

"The time has come for people to raise their hand and cast their vote," Fleischer told reporters as the council opened what top Bush aides officials say that they want to be the final week of discussions.

Senior US officials led by the President have sounded increasingly pessimistic about prospects for UN Security Council passage of a tough resolution aimed at stripping Saddam of chemical or biological weapons.