On the July 30 edition of Fox News' Fox News Live Weekend, guest host Page Hopkins revived the term “Axis of Weasels,” previously used by conservatives to describe countries such as France, Germany, and Russia, which did not support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. During a discussion of the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Hopkins stated that, although "[w]e thought they were gone ... the so-called 'Axis of Weasels' appears to be back." She suggested that, though the United States and “our allies” are “standing strong alongside Israel,” other nations -- the purported “Axis” -- “see this conflict in ... a different way.”

Hopkins then discussed the conflict with Richard Burt, who served as U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1985 to 1989, and was assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs from 1983 to 1985. Hopkins asked Burt if there had been “a permanent change in our diplomatic landscape, in terms of who we can count on and who we can't,” given that the United States' “European allies seem to be splitting along some of the same lines as they did in the Iraq conflict.” Burt answered: “No,” and did not use Hopkins's term “Axis of Weasels” to refer to nations that “see” the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in “a different way” than the United States does.

Throughout the segment, an onscreen graphic read: “Will this Crisis Bring Back the 'Axis of Weasels?' ”

The term “Axis of Weasels” (or “Axis of Weasel”) derives from President Bush's characterization -- beginning in his 2002 State of the Union address -- of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an “Axis of Evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.” After apparently originating among the right-wing weblogs, “Axis of Weasel[s]” became increasingly popular in the right-wing media. The announcer on Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson used the term on the January 23, 2003, edition of the show, while the cover of the New York Post featured it prominently in a January 24, 2003, headline. A Media Matters for America review* of the Nexis database revealed references to the Post headline on MSNBC (Buchanan and Press, 1/24/03), CNBC (The News with Brian Williams, 1/24/03), CNN (CNN Diplomatic License, 1/25/03), in The New York Times (Maureen Dowd column, 1/26/03), on Fox News (Fox News Sunday, 1/26/03), and at Slate (Chris Suellentrop, 1/30/03) within a week of the headline's original publication.

*Nexis search: (“axis of weasel” or “axis of weasels”) w/20 new york post and date(geq (1/24/03) and leq (1/30/03))

From the July 30 edition of Fox News' Fox News Live Weekend:

HOPKINS: America is standing firm, saying Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah terrorists. However, not everyone in Europe appears to agree. In fact, our allies, who are standing strong alongside Israel, are the same ones who stood by the U.S. in the buildup to the war in Iraq. We thought they were gone, but the so-called “Axis of Weasels” appears to be back. Why do they see this conflict in such a different way? Ambassador Richard Burt was America's ambassador to Germany. He was also assistant secretary of state for European affairs. Thanks for joining us, Ambassador Burt.

BURT: Thank you.

HOPKINS: Our European allies seem to be splitting along some of the same lines as they did in the Iraq conflict. Does -- does this tell us that there is a permanent change in our diplomatic landscape, in terms of who we can count on and who we can't?

BURT: No. I don't think it means -- means that there is a permanent change at work. I think what it does represent, though, is an important philosophical difference with many of the Europeans and the United States, at what the root causes of the problem are.

From the January 23, 2003 edition of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson:

ANNOUNCER: The U.S. calls France and Germany isolated. Paris and Berlin say they're not alone on their Iraqi peace mission.

Axis of Weasels: France and Germany folding is today's The Big Story with John Gibson.

[...]

GIBSON: Talk about a weak Euro. Are France and Germany hell-bent on diffusing war, or do they have other agendas? A French and a German give us the answers.