Axis of Evil

{{uspolitics}}
''Were you looking for the [[Axis|Axis Powers?]]''

The "'''Axis of Evil'''" was a list of countries that [[George W. Bush]] had philosophical<ref group=note>What his advisors told him, really, as he can't seem to think coherently.</ref> and ideological differences with, but had a problem coming up with legitimate reasons to [[War|resolve the differences by force]].<ref group=note>Well, he ''still has'' trouble with coming up with reasons for what he wants to do, but he's no longer President (thank God)!</ref> It was a short list of the usual suspects ([[Iran]], [[Iraq]], and [[North Korea]]), who had pretty much nothing to do with each other until they all ended up on the list. Later on, [[Bolivia]], [[Venezuela]], and [[Cuba]] declared themselves to be an "Axis of Good", although this was probably tongue-in-cheek. The phrase was coined for Bush's 2002 State of the Union address by White House speechwriter [[David Frum]], who left to spend time with his family after his wife stole Bush's thunder and e-mailed the Internet that David had written this glorious [[God]]-delivered phrase.

The "Axis of Evil" speech was a particularly effective bit of speechifying: it caused Iran to release "brutal" insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and send him back into [[Afghanistan]] to make trouble.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20100614083547/http://washingtonindependent.com/86820/amb-crocker-putting-iran-in-the-axis-of-evil-led-them-to-release-brutal-insurgent-leader Amb. Crocker: Putting Iran in the ‘Axis of Evil’ Led Them to Release Brutal Insurgent Leader], ''The Washington Independent''</ref> It also provided a convenient excuse for [[Kim Jong-il]] to restart his [[nuclear weapons|nuclear program]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/09/AR2006100901130.html Bush's 'Axis of Evil' Comes Back to Haunt United States], ''Washington Post''</ref> [[Mission accomplished]]!

==In cosmology==

The "Axis of Evil" is also the nickname received by an asymmetry of the cosmic microwave background as studied by the ''WMAP'' and ''Planck'' missions. It's not clear what it is: if it's mere data processing errors, proof of the universe having a doughnut-shaped form,<ref group=note>Mmmmmm… doughnuts.</ref> or simply a pattern that is [apparently] there [[Apophenia|because of our tendency to see those things everywhere]].<ref>[http://www.thephysicsmill.com/2015/10/31/the-cmb-axis-of-evil-and-the-nature-of-randomness/ The CMB Axis of Evil and the Nature of Randomness]</ref> Very recent (2016) studies of the expansion of the Universe, that show it to be uniform to the limit of measurements, show that the first and/or the last possibilities could be the most likely ones.<ref>[https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.07178 How isotropic is the Universe?]</ref>

Of course, this "Axis of Evil" has been the victim of [[crank]]s, who have used it to prove (for example) that [[Geocentrism|Earth is the center of the Universe]]. [[Bullshit|Yeah, right]].<ref>[http://www.theprinciplemovie.com/evil-axis-evil/ What is Evil About the Axis of Evil]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ronald Reagan|Evil empire]]
*[[Political binary]]

==Notes==
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==References==
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{{stub|politics}}
[[category:United States history]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Political strategery]]

Categories: United States history, Political terms, Political strategery