I am starting to believe Bush. The Axis of Evil really exists. In an op-ed piece cialis canadian pharmacy in the Los Angeles Times, former US State Department official Bennet Ramberg reminds us, quite chillingly, that the Axis of Evil is now for real. For a while, it looked like the three most evil countries in the world--Iraq, Iran, and North Korea--was simply strung out on an imaginary line in Bush's own metaphoric mind. But no longer.

The preemptive war against Iraq is gaining momentum. North Korea has sharpened its rhetorical sabers in a nuclear standoff with the United States, saying only a ''tremendous military deterrent force'' could avert war. And Iran, according to Ramberg, must be stopped before it gains nuclear weapons. How? By diplomacy backed by force.

Sounds familiar? Indeed, isn't that the same strategy Bush used in the days leading up to the war against Iraq? Use the UN when diplomacy is needed; use force when diplomacy no longer works to his advantage.
One Evil country is now being fought in the trenches of Baghdad. The other two Evils have already become embedded in a war of words.

''Only the physical deterrent force, tremendous military deterrent force powerful enough to decisively beat back an attack supported by any ultramodern weapons, can avert a war and protect the security of the country and the nation. This is a lesson drawn from the Iraqi war,'" said the North Korean Foreign Ministry recently.

And Iran, according to Ramberg, must be stopped in its race to require nuclear weapons. How? Back the rhetoric with missiles, he says, before Iran becomes part of the nuclear club.

Ramberg is not a speech writer for President Bush, but one wonders how long it will take before we hear Bush say: "Iran is now diverting nuclear material to terrorist allies. You have only one option: Disarm or face serious consequences." ("Serious consequences," that controversial phrase from UN resolution 1441, remember, is, according to Bush, diplomatic language for WAR)
One wonders how long it will take before Bush, Powell, and Rumsfeld will heed Ramberg's suggestion: "The choice should be squarely in Teheran's hands."

Along that rhetorical Axis of Evil, there is a real and parallell track, a long and dusty path of war and hell. Along that road, Iraq was the first stop. Will Iran be next?