"NeoCon for Ron" - Why Neoconservatives should back Ron Paul

OH MY GOD!!! Please NO neocons in this movement! NO THANK YOU.

This video is just another tired misrepresentation of neoconservative philosophy, which is continually fed to impressionable minds by people in positions of legitimacy like Ron Paul. He has routinely mischaracterized neocons by parroting some of the most common myths perpetrated by their detractors, i.e.: the percieved notions that they're ardent scholars of Strauss, believe in American colonialism, embrace perpetual worldly conflict, believe in "noble lies", act as an Israeli proxy, etc..

LuckyPierre78, as I am very interested in this subject, I should like to know what exactly the neoconservatives really want and believe in. If what you call the "common myths" are not true, what IS the truth regarding the neoconservatives?

It's important to understand that neoconservatism is not a movement aspiring to central organized characteristics, but rather a tendency. There is no set of neoconservative beliefs, only a set of attitudes derived from historical experience. The neocon position might be summed up as diplomacy if possible, force if necessary; the UN if possible, ad hoc coalitions or unilateral action if necessary; preemptive strikes if it's reasonable to anticipate hostile action on the part of America's enemies.

The ideas that have come to be associated with neocons are more a product of the circumstances in which the world finds itself, than a result of the success of a cabal of mainly Jewish intellectuals in capturing the hearts and minds of both the Blair and Bush administrations. Barring extraordinary events, the US will always feel obliged to defend, if possible, a democratic nation under attack from non-democratic forces. No complicated geopolitical calculations of national interest are necessary.

It's a malicious myth to suggest that neocons are Jews who serve the interests of Israel. Yes, neocons have links to the Likud Party, but they also have links to the British Tories and other conservative parties around the world. These connections reflect ideological, not ethnic, affinity. While many neocons are Jewish, many are not. Yet they are as committed to Israel's defense as Jewish neocons are, a commitment based not on shared religion or ethnicity but on shared liberal democratic values.

Neocons are hardly a well-organized, well-funded cabal. The Project for a New American Century, the leading neocon foreign policy think tank had a staff of five. Its resources pale next to the Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute, three of the biggest Washington think tanks, none of them sympathetic to the neoconservative vision of foreign policy. Neocons have been relatively influential because of the strength of their arguments, not their connections.

Like most conservatives, neocons are deeply suspicious of the United Nations, which they fear is animated by anti-Americanism. But unlike some on the right, they are happy to make common cause with the UN when doing so will serve US interests. Neocons are committed above all to US global leadership, and they know that the costs of such leadership are so high that the United States needs allies to share the burden. For this reason, neocons have been vocal advocates of expanding NATO.

According to some of their more heated critics, neocons view the world in Manichean terms, guided by the spirit of Leo Strauss. This portrayal isa crude caricature of those who believe that American values are worth defending at home and abroad. That conviction was, in fact, the view of Strauss, himself a largely apolitical professor. He was a firm believer in US democracy, which, he thought, needed to be defended by a well-educated elite. Strauss inspired some early neocons; few read him today.

LuckyPierre78, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate it. As English is not my native language and because I am not familiar with the subject, it will take me some time to fully comprehend what you have written. You are obviously very knowledgeable. Thanks.