The term "axis of weasels" is a conscious pun made on President of the United States George W. Bush's term "axis of evil" and frequently (and erroneously) attributed to US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. This term was used to criticize certain wavering U.S. allies, notably France, Germany, and Russia for failure to wholeheartedly support the United States of America and the United Kingdom in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Bush originally used the phrase "axis of evil" in a 2002 speech to decry Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. It is now used in other contexts since it has become a contemporary meme. The term "axis of evil" was itself ultimately derived from the World War II term "axis powers", which were Germany, Italy, and Japan.
This use of the phrase has elicited controversy particularly in those countries which felt maligned by it. The phrase actually originates from Scott Ott's satrical blog, ScrappleFace .
The term has also been used by pundits as a critical epithet directed at members of the Bush Administration itself.
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