It’s probably the most memorable phrase ever to pass George W. Bush’s lips – the notion of an "axis of evil" of U.S. enemies -– and the speechwriter credited with (mostly) thinking it up is joining Rudy Giuliani’s foreign policy team.
David Frum, a conservative author and former Bush speechwriter, is one of eight foreign affairs advisers Giuliani’s campaign announced today. Also named were Ruth Wedgwood, an international law professor who has defended Bush’s expansive claims to executive powers in the war on terror, and retired Admiral Robert Natter, who commanded the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
Frum has said he was asked by chief White House speechwriter Michael Gerson to come up with some choice sentences that would lay out the case for confronting Iraq for Bush's 2002 State of the Union address. He pitched "axis of hatred," which he said Gerson tweaked to "axis of evil," and the rest is history.
Of course, Bush critics argue that he took on the "axis" in the wrong order – toppling Saddam Hussein when he should have been focused on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions first. Iran is a big concern of Giuliani, and Frum’s no big fan of Iran either, so he should fit in fine with Giuliani’s team. No word in this Giuliani press release whether Frum will do any word-smithing for the ex-mayor.
--Craig Gordon in Washington
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