“axis of evil' damage control

In America’s growing concern over terrorism, President Bush stated in his State of the Union address Iraq, Iran and North Korea were part of an "axis of evil" developing weapons of mass destruction and the US would not wait for provocation to take aggressive steps to counter this threat.
In terms of damage control, Condoleeza Rice, national security adviser tried to explain President Bush’s “axis of evil” comment was a clear strategy to define a complex problem with direct language.
President Bush visited the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and stated “No wonder I think they’re evil.” He just learned of a 1976 incident that had led the deaths of two U.S. servicemen. The axes used to kill the men where on display in a North Korean museum just across the border.