Moore's book includes an open letter to George W Bush

It was to have been published last October by Harper Collins, but was delayed after the publisher deemed its criticisms of US President George Bush "inappropriate".

Moore later said he was surprised Stupid White Men had been published at all, and that his book had been "censored".

Stupid White Men includes a section on the Enron affair, as well as an open letter to the president, which Moore described as "humorous", detailing alleged financial improprieties.

Moore, a documentarist, TV presenter and journalist, has often spoken out against the Bush administration.

'Idiots'

Moore has clear ideas about his fellow Americans, saying: "There are a lot of people here who are not stupid white men. They are good people.

"There are 280 million people here.

"Two hundred million of them could be stone-cold idiots, but if there's 80 million people that are actively involved and care about what's going on, that's a hell of a lot of people."

Vain pursuit

Moore is best-known in the UK for his satirical television series TV Nation, and for his 1989 documentary Roger and Me.

The film traces his vain pursuit for an interview, over several years, of the then head of General Motors, Roger Smith.

In the film, Moore chronicled the mixed fortunes of his home town, Flint, in Michigan, after General Motors closed its factory there.