Great job, Michael Anton!
And good for President Trump putting him in the White House.
I hope Anton has moved beyond Straussianism.
The Neocon Straussians are a strange lot. Their intellectual pedigree began with 20th century Jewish emigres from Central and Eastern Europe who were Trotskyists.
Eventually they rejected Trotskyism and embraced free markets, but they did not return to Judaism.
They reject Judeo-Christianity and appear to adhere to elements of Classical Greek philosophy. But they are “esoteric” in writing about the true basis of their belief system, apparently because they think Americans would reject them if they were more open about this.
Their roots in our country are rather shallow, and they support Globalism and have little concern for the well-being of fellow Americans. They are embarrassed by strong feelings of American patriotism and consider national spirit and self-government based on nation-states, to be retrograde and passe.
Ironically, while they are strong supporters of a Jewish nation in Israel, they are not strong supporters of an American nation in the USA, and are one of the most influential voices in demanding mass third world immigration into the USA, including in particular Islamic immigration, on the basis that America is merely a “proposition” nation and not really a people with its own culture, tradition and history with a right to determine who may immigrate, unlike Israel.
Many of them, such as Jen Rubin, Bret Stephens and Bill Kristol, have become completely unhinged because of the election of Trump and view an American people that would elect Donald Trump as little different than Nazis. They have become very influential through magazines like the Weekly Standard, National Review, Commentary and the WSJ editorial page.
I imagine the ascendancy of Trump is as disturbing and distasteful to some in this country as the election of an Untouchable to high office would be in India.
For all his wealth Trump will never be mistaken for being one of the manor born.
I find much to admire in him, but even I have to look beyond his taste for white furniture trimmed in gold.
To blame the wreckage of neocons on that great man is a slander. For instance, Paul Wolfowitz was not a student of Strauss's. He attended two of his lecture courses and the notion that neoconservatism somehow follows from Strauss's views and teaching is pretty soundly rejected.
And virtually everything you write about Strauss's students and followers is belied by the writings of the great Harry Jaffa or Allan Bloom for that matter.