“WISHFUL THINKING Kristol recently announced “conservatisn is dead.” Citing an extremist like Kristol as if he speaks for conservatives is silly and will not be tolerated. Course, it’s always difficult to determine which country Bill Kristol is defending, and what motivation drives his elliptical thinking, and convoluted thoughts.”
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Who wrote conservatism is dead? Was it not Sam Tanenhaus, a writer for The New Republic?
Do you have a link?
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........modern-day neocons come from the far left, a group historically identified as former Trotskyites---who left the Reds when Stalin executed their hero.
Associated with these views are Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Eliot Abrams, Robert Kagan and William Kristol..........Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute; former CIA Director James Woolsey; Bill Bennett of Book of Virtues fame; Frank Gaffney; Dick Cheney; and Donald Rumsfeld. All are key players in designing the unprecedented US strategy of preemptive war (invasions without provocation).
A general understanding of neocon idealogy:
1. They agree with Trotsky on permanent revolution, violent as well as intellectual.
2. They are for redrawing the map of the Middle East and are willing to use force to do so.
3. They believe in preemptive war to achieve desired ends.
4. They believe that the ends justify the means (a discredited utilitarian idealogy).
5. They express no opposition to the welfare state.
6. They promote America as empire, strongly endorsing establishing democracies all over the world, using force, if necessary.
7. They believe lying is necessary for the state to survive.
8. They believe a powerful federal government is beneficial.
9. They believe government's role in society should be held by the elite-----withheld from "lesser citizens" who do not have "the courage" to deal with it.
10. They believe neutrality in foreign affairs is ill-advised.
11. They hold Leo Strauss in high esteem.
12. They believe imperialism, if progressive in nature, is appropriate.
13. Using American might to force American ideals on others is acceptable. Force should not be limited to the defense of our country.
14. 9-11 resulted from the lack of foreign entanglements, not from too many.
15. They dislike and despise libertarians (that applies to all dedicated constitutionalists.)
16. They endorse attacks on civil liberties (found in the Patriot Act), as a necessity.
17. They unconditionally support Israel and are allied with the Likud Party which serves as the touchstone for US foreign policy.
18. They believe that hard-ball politics is a "moral necessity" (probably the only instance when "morals" enters their virulent anti-religion vocabulary).