It’s the White House, some time in January 2002.

Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, and Stephen Hadley, her deputy, are telling George W. Bush that lumping Iran along with Iraq and North Korea in his forthcoming “Axis of Evil” speech may not be such a good idea (especially since – as Rice points out – Iran has a democratically elected president).

Bush rejects their arguments. President Khatami will understand, he says. If anything, it will help him and Iran’s other reformers in their battle against “the hardliners, the deadenders, the Ayatollah Cockamamies”.

“Iran stays in,” he declares.

Karl Rove, deputy chief of staff, hands Bush a bottle of non-alcoholic beer. Then Dick Cheney, Vice-President, finally chimes in.

“Anyone can go to Baghdad,” he says. “Real men go to Tehran.”

Bush smirks and clinks his beer bottle with Cheney’s coffee mug.

“Real men,” he says.