You got your Evil Empire in my Axis Powers! No, you got you Axis Powers on my Evil Empire!

Axis of evil - A totally awesome new super-villain agency like HYDRA or the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Possibly composed of the remaning members of the Monster Society of Evil.

Believed to be coined by speechwriter David Frum, the phrase refers to the nations of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, although Syria, Lybia, Cuba, Byelarus, Zimbabwe, Myanmar and Venezuela maintain junior assistant status.

Current US-delegate to the United Nations John Bolton described the terms as referring to "state sponsors of terrorism that are pursuing or who (sic) have the potential to pursue Weapons of Mass Destruction ... or have the capability to do so in violation of their treaty obligations".

Problems with the term go as follow: First off, an axis of three points is retarded. Secondly, if we consider Iran-Iraq one end of the axle, and North Korea the other, then all of Eurasia will be sent spinning around, and a lot of our allies will fall off.

Thirdly, the term "Axis" implies - and in fact, Frum intentionally recalled as much when modelling the speech in question after Frankling Delano Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech - a similarity to the original Axis powers of Europe. Any legitimate historical comparisons, however, are flimsy to non-existant - the Axis powers had a cohesive series of treaties, while Iran and Iraq are historical enemies and North Korea wouldn't even reocgnize those nations at a party. The term implies collusion, and the three states (and the other ones) are utterly distinct.

Fourth, the claims of WMD manufacture is a difficult one to verify. While certainly North Korea has nuclear weapons in violations of its treaty (as does American ally Pakistan, who nonetheless get a by on being included in the ol' A-of-E), you must ask yourself - CUBA?? Or for that matter, Iraq???

Fifth, the term distinctly neglects to account for the legitimate political state of the nations involved. To wit, Iran, which at the time of the appellation was undergoing a process of secularization and regime change. That was until the U.S. implied it was turning its military sights towards it, at which point startled and scared Persians started turning back to the mullahs and ayatollahs who gave us so much cause for concern in the first place.

But here's the big problem: The term was created, by Frum's own admission, to justify the invasion or Iraq and the ouster of Saddam Hussein, based entirely on sprurious logic and thematic association between disparate nations. That Frum is so delighted to have found his speech uncharacteristically read-as-written by the President and his enthusiasm for the man so uncritically in need of unsupportable propoganda therefore overflowing is irrelevant, his praise for the president he calls "The Right Man" is undermined by his own admission that bullshit was at work here. An axis of bullshit, if I may.

President of Venezuela Huge Chavez, a leftist leader, has made reference to an "Axis of Good," including his own nation, Cuba and Bolivia. Which is still three things on an axle, and is therefore yet dumb.

Please see also Coalition of the Willing, which is the political equivalent of leaves falling from the trees in autumn ...