Axis of Evil

The term "Axis of Evil" was used by George W. Bush in his State of the Union address in January 2002 in reference to Iraq, Iran and North Korea. It is a prime example of conservative deceit and disinformation. The three countries were supposedly linked in their sponsorship of terrorism and their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. The term was chosen to remind older listeners of the Axis Powers of World War II, which consisted of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy, who were united in war against the Allies, who consisted of Great Britain, the Unites States, and the Soviet Union. In actual fact, there were no ties at all among the three countries to which Bush was referring, and at the time, none of them had weapons of mass destruction. In response to this speech, in self defense, North Korea proceeded to build and test a nuclear device. The speech was designed to gain support for the Bush Administration's plan to invade Iraq. The subsequent invasion proved that Iraq had long ago abandoned its program to develop weapons of mass destruction. 0 for 3.

The Bush Administration refused to negotiate with North Korea to cement diplomatic gains made during the Clinton Administration, and would not resume negotiations until seven years later, after the North Koreans had already developed a nuclear weapon. The Decider had demonstrated once again the futility of a stubborn refusal to face reality. The Bush Administration was also making moves to attack Iran until all the major intelligence agencies of the nation determined after extensive study that Iran had already abandoned its nuclear weapons program. They Bush Administration still stubbornly refuses to start negotiations with Iran to establish closer ties and reduce the risk that the nation will feel the need to develop weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps history will remember the Axis of Evil as Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld for their unilateral invasion of another country, their use of torture on supects held without charge and their frequent use of lies to mislead the American people.