George W. Bush is a uniter and not a divider. You remember. He told us that over and over during the campaign. He told us that he had been able to work with the Texas legislature and bring bitter enemies together for their common good and he promised to do the same thing when he got to Washington. Who knew it was going to be so easy for him. It was simple. Who could imagine that he would be able to do all that uniting with one simple phrase. With just a few words he wiped out decades of strife and brought the bitterest of enemies under one tent and united them for a common purpose. I did not think that he was capable of it.

The enemies? Iran and Iraq divided by politics, sectarian religion and decades of hot and cold war. The common enemy? Us. With one simple slogan - Axis of Evil - President Bush united Saddam Hussein with the Mullahs of Teheran, which was no mean accomplishment. You remember the first Gulf War, the one where we first armed Saddam against Tehran and then evened up the odds by selling arms to Iran but not to free the hostages in Lebanon. Over a million people died in that conflict.

Word of the President's success came in an account by the official Iraqi News Agency on Monday February 11th. Saddam told a meeting of the Iraqi cabinet, "We say it loud and clear: we are against any aggression on Iran for many reasons and we are committed to our stand." He described the Islamic Republic he once tried to topple as a "neighborly country" and declared "[W]hat ever affects it in terms of instability, aggression or harm would have inevitable repercussions on us. Because of the deep historical reasons as well we are against any aggression on Iran." Meanwhile Tehran organized mass demonstrations burning the Star and Stripes and chanting the familiar "Death to America" refrain to celebrate the 23rd Anniversary of their revolution. Never before in the history of human conflict has one man united so many with so few words.

As Mr. Ming says, "That's a Texan for you! All hat!"