Axis of Evil re-visited

Foreign policy pundits scoffed when George W. Bush labelled Iran, Iraq and North Korea an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union address. But since then, Mr. Bush's assessment has proven to be worryingly accurate.
Iran, however, continues unchecked in its drive to become a nuclear power, and still supports international terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the last of the trio, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, is forging ahead with its own reckless attempts to add to its existing nuclear stockpile.
Pyongyang is thought to have already processed enough plutonium to arm eight nuclear warheads. And Jane's Defence Weekly reported this week that the rogue nation is preparing to deploy nuclear-tipped missiles. According to the reputable publication, the North Korean navy will use scrapped Russian submarines as launching pads.

As reported earlier, we need missile defense. But I wonder if those who scoffed about calling Iran and North Korea as evil as Iraq are becoming more concerned and if they owe an apology to President Bush for drawing attention to these countries and their ambitions.