In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday that Iraqi cooperation with weapons inspectors had been good so far and praised the arms experts for using their authority to visit one of Saddam Hussein's presidential compounds. In Shreveport in Louisiana, president George W. Bush meanwhile remained skeptical saying Tuesday the critical test is whether Saddam Hussein disarms and averts war threatened by the United States.

Bush told a partisan crowd of 5,000 during a political trip in Shreveport, "We're not interested in hide-and-seek inside Iraq.

The only question is ... will this man disarm? The choice is his. And if he does not disarm, the United States of America will lead a coalition to disarm him."

The line, a staple of Bush's political speeches, drew loud applause from the crowd. "Go get him, George!" one man yelled.

The president sought to underscore his skepticism about Saddam's intentions amid reports that the U.N. mission in Iraq is going well thus far.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said Tuesday that Iraq's cooperation with weapons inspectors has been good so far. Annan praised the inspectors for using their authority to visit presidential palaces.

"There is a good indication that the Iraqis are cooperating, but this is only the beginning," Annan said. "They have to sustain the cooperation and effort ... and we will have to wait for the report of the inspectors."

A day earlier, Bush said "the signs are not encouraging" about Saddam's willingness to disarm. He did not comment directly on the inspections Tuesday.

INSPECTIONS TAKE NEW TURN

The inspections took a new turn on Tuesday when the international inspectors showed up without warning at one of Saddam's presidential palaces and demanded - and received - entry to the opulent and sprawling residence.

But Bush wants more from Iraq than access. "In the inspections process, the United States will be making one judgment: Has Saddam Hussein changed his behavior of the last 11 years? Has he decided to cooperate willingly and comply completely, or has he not? So far the signs are not encouraging," Bush said Monday at the Pentagon.

IRAQ UN AMBASSDOR SAYS HIS COUNTRY'S GOT NOTHING TO HIDE

Iraq has until Sunday to declare all of its banned biological, chemical and nuclear weapons work, as well as its long-range missiles, under a U.N. Security Council resolution unanimously approved last month. Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Al-Douri, said the declaration could be ready as early as Wednesday.

"There will be nothing surprising," Al-Douri said. "We have repeated our position several times that we have nothing hidden."

The surprise inspection of a presidential palace in Baghdad on Tuesday turned up no hidden surprises. The U.N. team left the palace after 1 1/2 hours and had no comment for reporters. "The Iraqi side was cooperative," Gen. Hossam Mohammed Amin, the chief Iraqi liaison officer, told journalists afterward. "The inspectors were happy."

Bush's position is that Iraq has indeed hidden chemical and biological weapons and banned missiles, and has not abandoned its nuclear weapons program.

The Iraqi declaration "must be credible and complete," Bush said, "or the Iraqi dictator will have demonstrated to the world once again that he has chosen not to change his behavior."

Making clear that the consequence would be war, the president added: "The temporary peace of denial and looking away from danger would only be a prelude to broader war and greater horror. America will confront gathering dangers early before our options become limited and desperate."

Bush spoke at a Pentagon ceremony where he also signed legislation authorizing the DLRS. 355.5 billion that he requested - and received earlier this year - for the military.

Across the country, Vice President Dick Cheney rounded out the White House's one-two punch at Saddam with a similar speech to 1,500 Air National Guard leaders meeting in Denver.

Cheney aimed to link the popular post-Sept. 11, 2001 war on terrorism and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network to today's campaign against Iraq.

Cheney said that, given the chance, al-Qaida would join outlaw regimes like Iraq to get weapons of mass destruction.

"That's why confronting the threat imposed by Iraq is not a distraction from the war on terror, it is absolutely crucial to winning the war on terror. The war on terror will not be won until Iraq is completely and verifiably deprived of weapons of mass destruction," Cheney said.

Cheney told the military leaders that the campaign could take years.

"This campaign may not be finished on our watch, but it must and it will be waged on our watch," Cheney said.

A senior White House official said Iraq has not been as cooperative with U.N. inspectors as early reports suggest. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not elaborate.

White House officials said they do not expect Bush to take immediate action against Saddam after the deadline, even if Iraq claims not to have weapons of mass destruction. Instead, the administration is prepared to share its intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs with inspectors to help verify and challenge whatever disclosures Saddam makes, officials said.

Bush also announced Monday that his special envoy to Afghanistan will become an ambassador-at-large for "Free Iraqis."

In that post, Zalmay Khalilzad will serve as the main U.S. contact and coordinator for the Iraqi opposition and will oversee Bush's preparations for Iraq after Saddam.

PHOTO CAPTION

(LEFT) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaks with reporters at the U.N. in New York, December 3, 2002. (Peter Morgan/Reuters)

(RIGHT) U.S. President George W. Bush campaigns for GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Suzanne Terrell (not shown) while at a fundraising luncheon for her in New Orleans, Louisiana, December 3, 2002. REUTERS/Larry Downing