What will it take for the neocons to be discredited once and for all?

On February 4, regarding my observations of the regular conservatives’ rejection of the neoconservatives’ enthusiasm for Egyptian democracy, Kathlene M. wrote:

You wrote, “there is something seriously offbase about the neocons.”

Michael Brendan Dougherty observed in April 2009 (“Neoconned Again”, The American Conservative) that the neocons had rebranded themselves into Obamacons:

After successive elections unseated the Republican majority and sent John McCain to defeat, neoconservatism seemed like a spent force. Francis Fukuyama wrote wistfully about life “After Neoconservatism” in 2006. Ian Buruma described the McCain campaign as the neocons’ “last stand” and harrumphed that they “will not be missed.”

One would expect neoconservatives to be friendless and circumspect, grumbling about Obama’s inevitable failure as they slump away from Washington. Instead, they are jubilant, palling around with liberals again, enjoying renewed respect. Obama is their hero.

Hopefully the latest events in Egypt finally demonstrate that the neocons are toxic to any renewal of conservatism.

My reply:

As one who expected and hoped several years ago that the neoconservatives, having massively discredited themselves with their democracy craziness, would more or less disappear as an intellectual force on the American scene, but then they didn’t dissappear, I cannot say now with assurance that anything will lead to their being definitively rejected by mainstream conservatives. But we can still point to positive signs of such rejection, and hope.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 24, 2011 08:55 AM | Send