WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Building his case for a possible attack on Iraq, President Bush has asked the U.N. Security Council to meet on Feb. 5 to consider fresh evidence about Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's "illegal" weapons programs.

On Wednesday, as the Security Council begins debate on Baghdad's compliance with U.N. arms inspections, Bush is heading for Michigan to push the domestic agenda he also outlined on Tuesday night in his annual State of the Union address to the nation.

Bush braced wary Americans for a possible war with Iraq in the speech by saying Baghdad had shown contempt for U.N. disarmament demands and cautioning U.S. troops that "some crucial hours may lie ahead."

"If war is forced upon us, we will fight with the full force and might of the United States military -- and we will prevail," Bush told a national television audience from the chamber of the House of Representatives.

Bush also accused Saddam of aiding and protecting "terrorists, including members of al Qaeda," blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Bush and top aides have been trying to establish a connection between Iraq and Osama bin Laden's militant network to bolster their case for armed conflict with Iraq, which they consider an extension of the anti-terror campaign.

In an interview on ABC News on Wednesday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Tareq Aziz said he "absolutely" denied Iraq has any connection to Al Qaeda. "And I challenge Bush and his government to present any, any evidence of that," he said.

MAKING THE CASE

Bush's speech also was regarded as critical to his attempt to reassure Americans jittery about a weak U.S. economy and possible war. There is growing anxiety among Americans about attacking Iraq and Security Council members have urged the United States to give inspections more time.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, said on Wednesday Bush has not yet made the case that U.S. military action is necessary to disarm Iraq.

"Before we commit lives and troops and the resources of the American people, we need to have a lot better evidence that the threat is more imminent than it is today," he told NBC News.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix bolstered the U.S. case for military action by saying Baghdad had not come to a "genuine acceptance" of its disarmament obligations. He told the Security Council on Monday that Iraq had failed to answer crucial questions on its long-range missiles and chemical and biological arms programs.

But council members Russia, France, Syria, Germany and China, as well as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said the inspections were working and should be given more time.

To try to convince skeptical allies, Bush called on the Security Council to convene on Feb. 5 " to consider the facts of Iraq's ongoing defiance of the world."

"Secretary of State (Colin) Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons programs, its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors and its links to terrorist groups," Bush said.

Democrats have demanded that the White House back up its allegations with more evidence. U.N. arms inspectors have yet to find any major proof of the weapons of mass destruction Iraq denies having or trying to obtain.

As tens of thousands of U.S. troops gathered in the Gulf region readying for a possible attack that could come as early as next month, Bush worked to bridge divisions at home and abroad while warning Saddam that "time is running out."

He has scheduled another round of intensive diplomacy, meeting like-minded world leaders this week and sending Powell to the United Nations next week. He holds talks on Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has been a strong supporter of his Iraq policy.

Major decisions are likely to hinge on Bush's meeting Friday at his Camp David retreat with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the primary U.S. ally in confronting Iraq.

DOMESTIC POLICY

In a reflection of his desire that Iraq not overshadow an agenda geared toward re-election in 2004, Bush devoted the first half of his State of the Union address to domestic policy, including his $674 billion plan to revive the sputtering U.S. economy.

In Michigan, he planned to focus on his Medicare reform proposal, which relies more on private sector health plans to contain costs, and offer a prescription drug benefit to the government-run health program for Americans over age 65.

The White House has not said when it will release details on how it wants to revamp Medicare. White House budget chief Mitch Daniels said the administration will propose spending nearly $400 billion over 10 years to modernize Medicare and provide prescription drug benefits to older Americans.