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"What is a neocon?"

That is a very complicated question. The simplest answer is that it is an offshoot of the traditional conservative movement whose philosophy differs vastly from traditional conservative views particularly in the area of foreign policy. They don’t embrace the term “neoconservative,” it was given to them to distinguish their views.

The essential difference between them and the traditionalist (I consider my self traditional, so there is bias in my opinion) is that they believe that America should “seize” its place in the world through military means to insure that America can remain a superpower. The traditional conservative view is that America can remain a superpower without initiating any military action with a strong defensive posture and containment. The neocons believe it is necessary to protect America’s world position through “preemptive” military actions when, in their view an, opponent could be a problem down the road or if military action could improve America’s strategic position.

The best example of the traditional view at work is the method used to bring down the Soviet Union; no shots were ever fired except when the USSR acted as aggressors (thus containment). The US also drove the arms race so that we were safe at the same time as the USSR was spending beyond its means to keep up. Reagan was the master of this strategy.

The shift to the neocon policy is as dramatic, IMO, as foreign policy changes come.