At times it does seem like North Korea and Iran are competing to see who can cause the most trouble  to get a US bailout package first from the Obama administration:

Laura Ling, Euna Lee and Roxana Saberi, three American journalists who have been detained. Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee are being held by North Korea. Ms. Saberi is being held by Iran.

As if wrangling over nuclear disarmament talks, claiming to have launched a satellite into orbit and seizing not one but two female American reporters was not enough to make it clear that North Korea is willing to go all out in its battle against Iran for the top slot in the Axis of Evil world rankings, on Wednesday the government in Pyongyang threatened to start enriching uranium.

Regular readers of The Lede will recall that Iran, in its complex diplomatic dance with the United States, has recently taken several similar steps — trumpeting its uranium-enrichment capabilities ahead of talks over its nuclear program, successfully launching a satellite and convicting a female American reporter on espionage charges.

We could also point out that while Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said that the “hidden Imam” — a 12th century religious leader Shiites believe cheated death — is directing his government’s policies, North Korea’s Kim Jong-il officially shares power with his dead father, who retains the title of “eternal President.” But those facts seem unrelated to the public relations battle between the two nations to see who can first get the most attention from President Obama and then find a way to threaten or cajole him into ending the economic sanctions that hold both countries back.  [The Lede - New York Times]

Click the link to read who the New York Times thinks is ahead in the Axis of Evil sweepstakes currently going on.