HONOLULU -- Those of us who comment on U.S. foreign policy are deeply indebted to U.S. President George W. Bush for his State of the Union reference to North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an "axis of evil." Never before have three simple (if not simplistic) words spawned so many editorials, fed so many talking heads and inspired so many protest placards. The only thing missing thus far is an associated scandal, which would of course be immediately dubbed "evilgate."

It may be time for a ceasefire, however, since the attacks against the use of this slogan are now creating as much confusion and misunderstanding as the original phrase. When learned former ambassadors like Morton Abramowitz and James Laney claim that Bush "implicitly threatened to destroy North Korea or force it to modify its behavior (and) implied the time was sooner rather than later," it may be time to stop and listen again to what the president actually said.

What I heard Bush say in his State of the Union address (and on multiple occasions since) was this: If states (like North Korea, Iran, and especially Iraq) that are pursuing weapons of mass destruction place those weapons in the hands of terrorists who would be willing to employ them against the United States, they will be held accountable. He was, in the president's own words, "putting them on notice."