Brothers: If my feeble memory serves, it wasn't too long ago that our chief executive and Donald Rumsfeld, while drumming up support for war in the Mid East, made comments about the axis of evil. Didn't they mention something over a dozen nations in the Axis of Evil? When questioned about whether we were going to fight all these wars at once, Ari F., Mr. Rumsfeld, and General Franks replied we would prioritize and face one at a time. The Hubris with which they confidently spoke of "going it alone" in those days is gone. Thankfully, the President has been able to put together something of some support from other nations. He has moderated his speech and now talks of getting multi-national support, and that war is not inevitable. However. Since he threw down the gauntlet, perhaps it is too late to avoid war. Korea has stood up and confessed to developing atomic weapons at a moment when we are looking toward Iraq. The question now is, do we really want to refight the Korean War? The Indonesian terrorists have taken a stand. Do we want a two or three front war? How about a dozen front war? The listing of the states that allegedly harbor and support terrorists only invited simultaneous uprising because it doesn't take great insight to figure out we can't root out all the evil doers in the world at the same time. It becomes obvious that the new century could be as bloody as the last. By putting out an "enemies list," by saying that we have the right to strike first, our chief executive has accomplished part of what he intended: he has struck fear in the heart of his enemies. That, of course means that we are stuck with results of being feared. One predictable result is that people who fear us will strike out when we are occupied with Iraq. Reread these lines from the State of the Union address: <snip> "Our military has put the terror training camps of Afghanistan out of business, yet camps still exist in at least a dozen countries. A terrorist underworld -- including groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Jaish-i-Mohammed -- operates in remote jungles and deserts, and hides in the centers of large cities. While the most visible military action is in Afghanistan, America is acting elsewhere. We now have troops in the Philippines, helping to train that country's armed forces to go after terrorist cells that have executed an American, and still hold hostages. Our soldiers, working with the Bosnian government, seized terrorists who were plotting to bomb our embassy. Our Navy is patrolling the coast of Africa to block the shipment of weapons and the establishment of terrorist camps in Somalia. My hope is that all nations will heed our call, and eliminate the terrorist parasites who threaten their countries and our own. Many nations are acting forcefully. Pakistan is now cracking down on terror, and I admire the strong leadership of President Musharraf. (Applause.) But some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no mistake about it: If they do not act, America will. (Applause.) Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror from threatening America or our friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction. Some of these regimes have been pretty quiet since September the 11th. But we know their true nature. North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction, while starving its citizens. Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens -- leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This is a regime that agreed to international inspections -- then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world. States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic. We will work closely with our coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction. We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. (Applause.) And all nations should know: America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation's security. We'll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. (Applause.) Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun. This campaign may not be finished on our watch -- yet it must be and it will be waged on our watch." <snip> ------------------------------------------ I am not saying that we should have made no response to 911. You wil recall I approved of many of the president's actions, and withheld for a long time any critical statements about moves that made me uneasy. In the state of the union speech he named several countries. Donald Rumsfeld and other spokes persons have named others. These words have a prophetic quality. They call into existence a fulfillment. Countries such as Korea, Iran, and Iraq who have nothing in common, suddenly have something in common: fear of a powerful enemy who has promised war. If there wasn't an "axis of evil" before the State of the Union speech, it has now been called into existence. Some things are better left unsaid. We shouldn't meditate on evil, for sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. We were attacked and responded , and that was good. It was good that our President left some of the rhetoric behind as he went to the UN to call on world support. But the words that were said are out there, resonating around the world, and we probably haven't heard the last echo. Who is up for a simultaneous war in Iran, Iraq, Korea, Indonesia, Libya, Syria and the rest of the "Axis of Evil?" Charles Scott _________________________________________________________________ Surf the Web without missing calls! Get MSN Broadband. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/freeactivation.asp