We are once again a beacon of civilization, on a higher moral plane thanothers, opposing absolute evil -- not only did Bush refer twice to the"civilized world," meaning us and our close allies, we also learn thatIran, Iraq, and North Korea, along with their "terrorist allies"constitutean "axis of evil." In a stunning display of hypocrisy, Bush evenindictedIraq for attempting to weaponize anthrax, something the United States hasbeen doing itself. Although couched in universalist terms -- "the rule oflaw, limits on the power of the state, respect for women, private property,free speech, equal justice and religious tolerance" -- this renewed, overtcultural supremacism is no less odious than that of the supposedly bygonecolonial era.