“[I]n a further expansion of the ‘war on terrorism’ President Bush [in his January 29, 2002, State of the Union Address] identified an ‘axis of evil’ that includes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. This is an odd formulation as these nations hardly constitute an axis. Indeed, Iraq and Iran are implacable enemies, having fought a brutal war during the 1980s which killed a million people. And describing Iran as ‘evil’ has undermined the reformist camp in the Iranian government and generated vast anti-American rallies in a country where the United States was becoming increasingly popular.”
– Peter Bergen, Holy War, Inc., Page 244