"For the good of our children and our grandchildren, we must deny the world's most dangerous leaders from having and harboring the world's most dangerous weapons," the president said.

In a series of fundraising stops since leaving Washington on Wednesday, Bush has on four occasions defended the expression, which drew an international outcry and sparked worries that he could order unilateral military action.

"We will be deliberate. We'll be thoughtful. We will consult with our friends and allies," he told a crowd at a political fundraiser in Dallas, Texas on Thursday. "But when I said axis of evil, I meant it."

What he meant, according to White House aides, was that current policy towards all three regimes takes insufficient notice of the possibility that they could acquire nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and then hook up with terrorists like those who carried out the September 11 attacks.

Global concern over the remarks has focused on Iraq, amid widespread speculation that the regime in Baghdad could be the next target of the US-led "war on terrorism" once the campaign in Afghanistan is complete.

Bush first used the expression -- which admirers have likened to former president Ronald Reagan's 1982 designation of the Soviet Union as the "evil empire" -- in his January 29 State of the Union speech to Congress.

Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express NUKEWARS US 'Deadly Serious' About Iraq Not Acquiring Nukes Warns Cheney  Washington (AFP) Mar 24, 2002 Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday reiterated that Washington was "deadly serious" about preventing Baghdad from acquiring nuclear weapons and downplayed the importance of sending UN weapons inspectors back to Iraq.